Holding All The Cards
by Drow79
Summary: Issei was celebrating at a festival when a certain stall called the 'Throne of Heroes' caught his attention. Deciding to check it out he made a decision that changed his life and the lives of those around him forever. Warning OOC Issei/Less perverted Issei. Harem because DxD. Cover art by DoomityDoom on Deviantart.
1. The Opening Hand

**I love reading Fate crossovers, especially with Highschool DxD and I had this idea for a while but it would not leave me alone so I decided to write to get it out of my head. Anyway I hope you like it.**

 **I don't own the Fate series or Highschool DxD they belong to Type-Moon and Ichiei Ishibumi repectively.**

* * *

"Issei I know you're sad about what happened to your mother but try to have a good time, for Irina's sake. Remember their family's moving tomorrow," requested his father.

"I'll try dad," replied the ten-year-old Issei as he approached his friend Irina.

"Come on Issei-kun let's go!" cried Irina as 'he' rushed towards the festival stands.

Issei was going to follow 'him' when a specific stand caught the boy's attention, the 'Throne of Heroes.' Shrugging he walked over to it and was immediately greeted by an old man whom quickly offered Issei a seat. "Hello boy, what can this humble magician do for you?" greeted the man.

"I was just wondering what this stand does," replied Issei.

The man just gained a smug smile, "we make heroes boy. Would you like me to do the same to you?"

Issei's eyes widened and he nodded eagerly, he wanted to become strong and heroes were strong weren't they? He would definitely do it so that when Irina came back he would be strong enough to protect himself, he wouldn't have to rely on his friend to bail him out all the time.

"Very well then let's begin shall we?" grinned the man before he chanted something in a strange language Issei couldn't recognize and reached into his pocket to pull out several objects.

The boy looked at the old man in confusion as he held up seven cards that reminded Issei of tarot cards and placed them along the table, "there are many types of heroes in this world and I wonder which one are you hmm?"

The old man then pointed at the first card showing a Knight with what looked like a claymore drawn and ready, "first there is the Saber class, fighters whose skill with swords were so great that they rivalled even the gods!"

"So they're like noble knights protecting the innocents?" asked Issei.

The man nodded with a frown, "some are but not all. Don't forget knights aren't the only ones skilled with a sword young man, and not all knights are noble ones in fact there is one who is even called the Knight of Treachery..."

"Even if they weren't noble I'm sure they had reasons for doing what they did, knights are people too after all," argued the boy as he looked up to the old man with a determined expression, not noticing the Saber card light up slightly at his reply.

The man just raised an eyebrow at this as he replied, "Indeed they did have reasons but what is better boy? To do the wrong things for the right reasons or doing the right thing for the wrong reasons? If you truly want to be a hero then you need to learn this."

The boy just frowned as he stared at the Saber card, almost feeling his hand closing around the hilt of an imaginary sword before nodding in understanding, seeing this the old man moved on to the next card that had a man holding a long spear ready to strike. "Next we have the Lancer class, heroes that like the Saber class have mastered spears to godly levels."

An amused grin spread across his face as he leaned forward and whispered to Issei, "but just between you and me they seem to have the worst luck of the bunch."

"Who needs luck when you have skill? After all they wouldn't have been able to become heroes if something as minor as bad luck stopped them," replied Issei as he looked down on the Lancer card, the image of a blood red spear appearing in his mind as he touched it.

"Quite so," agreed his companion, snapping Issei out of his daze and drawing his attention back to the conversation, the boy once again not noticing a small light coming of the Lancer card.

The man seemed to frown slightly in confusion as he examined the two cards but the moment passed quickly and Issei was left wondering if he had imagined it as the old man moved on to the third card with a smile on his face. Looking down on the third card Issei saw it appeared to be a rider in some kind of chariot, preparing to ride after his enemies.

"Now we come to the Rider class, they are heroes who are known for their amazing mastery of mounted combat or have a mount so famous they can't be pictured without it," continued the old man.

"What does that mean?" asked Issei in confusion.

"Hmm…ah I got it! Tell me when you think of Batman what do you picture?" asked the man.

"Batman riding down the street in his Batmobile, chasing after the bad guys," replied the boy, eagerly.

"Exactly! You see Batman would be considered a Rider hero," he explained, giving Issei an approving nod.

"So I could be Batman!" shouted Issei in excitement, drawing the attention of others celebrating the festival.

"Indeed," laughed the man before fixing a stare on Issei. "However be aware that Riders are usually at a disadvantage in most fights, after all most circumstances don't let them use their mounts."

Issei just looked up at him with an eager smile as the feeling of reins appeared in his hands and he heard the booming of thunder, "the harder the fight, the greater the prize. After all that's what conquering is all about."

Like the two before it, the Rider card glowed softly at this while the man nodded as his grin grew wider and he lead Issei over to the next card. Examining it Issei saw what appeared to be a man with his bow and arrow drawn, sighting down on some imaginary enemy.

"This is the Archer class, the masters of ranged combat. Simply give them a target and they will be able to hit it even from miles away, they usually are very independent from others though," grinned the man, eager to see the response he would get.

"So they're like solitary hunters? The ultimate hunters, able to catch anything that they put their mind to. Too wild and free to be held down by others and yet…at the same time one of the loneliest heroes to exist," replied Issei sadly as images of a lone figure hunting in the woods and running in footraces faded out of his mind.

The old man nearly jumped for joy as he eyed the card beneath Issei's hand and watched as it glowed softly, the man then quickly drew the boy's attention to the next card before Issei noticed the light. The boy looked down and saw what appeared to be a cloaked old man holding a book of some kind and giving off a very wise aura.

"Next we have the Caster class, embodying the best magic users that have ever existed. They can do spells that most mages today could only dream of and then some, definitely not one to be looked down upon for its lack of physical strength," explained the man, cheerfully.

"Magic is real!" cried the boy in wonder.

His companion nodded in amusement, "that's right and speaking from personal experience it is very useful. Wouldn't you want to use it too?"

"Of course then I could do my own magic show!" as his thoughts were filled with childish wonder at the possibilities.

However, his thoughts soon turned into something…odd. He felt his body growing hot and yet it was comforting, almost like the sun. Next images of a large building, almost like a palace, filled his head and he saw a group of angry men rushing towards him before the images shattered and were replaced by an ornate mirror hovering in front of him.

"OI BOY!" shouted a male voice snapping Issei back to the present as the man watched him with an intrigued expression.

"Sorry I zoned out for a second," apologized the boy.

His companion just waved him off and pointed to the next card, causing Issei to freeze as he followed the man's gaze and examined the card. Issei frowned as he saw the picture of what could only be described as a monstrosity or mad beast on the card.

"W-what is that?" he asked, fearfully.

"Now, now, don't be so quick to judge," berated the old man with a smile. "This is the Berserker class, heroes that have gone mad with grief, rage or bloodlust. They are one of the strongest but at the cost of their sanity."

"Heroes that have lost their loved ones? I know how that feels," replied Issei as he stared at the card with sympathy.

"So you can understand why they did what they did?" questioned the man in surprise.

The boy just nodded with a weary look in his eyes that didn't belong on a child's face, "yeah, honestly I probably would have done the same."

The boy's eyes widened however as he saw the card glow and a stone axe-sword seemed to appear in his hand before fading away. Alarmed Issei quickly looked up at the old man who just smiled and continued on to the final card which showed a man with a skull mask performing a midair back flip.

"And finally we come to the last one, the Assassin class. Now I know what you are thinking, 'how could an assassin ever be a hero?' Well have you ever seen the Ninja Turtles? They are assassins and yet people still consider them to be heroes," he quickly explained, seeing Issei's horrified expression.

Issei was silent as he just picked up the card and stared at it, clearly conflicted about the choice until finally he placed it down on the table and looked up at the man with a serious expression that completely contrasted his childish face.

"No one respects life more than someone who has to take it away, if I had to do it I would never enjoy it but at least I could make it painless," he decided as the card gave off a soft glow and as Issei looked back at the old man his eyes widened. For just an instant he could have sworn he saw a giant ornate guillotine behind the old man, blinking Issei frowned and the image faded away as he let go of the assassin card.

The man just laughed before he picked up all seven cards and examined them with growing excitement, "incredible in all the worlds I've been to no one has been compatible with more than one let alone all seven, not even your counterpart's boy."

"Huh?" came Issei's reply to this apparently madman's ravings.

The man just smiled as he handed the seven cards to Issei, whom nearly dropped them as all seven began glowing at his touch. "Alright boy listen carefully, these cards will help you become strong enough to be a hero, now you just need to pick one. So which will it be, what kind of hero do you want to become?" he asked, eagerly.

Issei just looked at the seven cards and frowned as he examined them, the two of them were silent for a solid ten minutes until the boy looked up at the man, "so these cards will help me become stronger?"

Seeing the man nod Issei continued, "And I can pick any one of them? And you'll give me the one I pick?"

"That's right," replied the man, looking even more curious then before.

Issei just put all seven cards on the table and stared at his companion with a determined expression, "then I pick all of them!" he announced.

The man's face became a textbook expression of shock before he suddenly burst out laughing, "Well aren't you the greedy one. I can't believe it, a child managing to shock me! Me! The master of Kaleidoscope! Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg!"

The newly named Zelretch finally stopped laughing as he handed the cards back to Issei, "looks like I've found a new world to be my playground after all, congratulations Issei Hyoudou come and claim your prizes."

Issei grinned happily as he examined the cards and ran off to show his friend Irina, Zelretch smiled as he watched him go, "I have high hopes for you Issei Hyoudou, and I can't wait to see how you evolve this time around."

As Issei dragged his friend Irina back to the stand to show 'him' the old man they were both shocked to see nothing there, no Zelretch, no festival stand, nothing but an empty space. "Issei-kun it's not nice to tease people," pouted Irina as they walked off.

For his part Issei just looked down at the cards in his hands, trying to piece together what had just happened. Eventually shrugging he placed them in his pocket, not noticing them beginning to glow briefly as seven ghostly figures appeared above him before disappearing.

* * *

 _Issei sighed as he found himself in the same place as usual and climbed up off the stone ground before taking note of his surroundings. The area looked like the Roman Colosseum with an arena floor as well as bleachers reaching up into the sky, where the Emperor's throne sat was a massive red dragon statue, cradling the throne protectively. Issei stood on the ground floor in the arena area, sighing as he saw the seven sealed doorways leading out of the arena. Each of the doorways had a different symbol above it showing one of the Class Cards he had received all those years ago._

" _Man I really hate this place," sighed Issei as he once again found himself trapped on the arena floor like usual. "Zelretch you bastard these cards are useless! They've done nothing but trap me in my dreams since I got the damn things!"_

 _As soon as he finished his rant Issei had to duck as a piece of the stands above broke off and nearly hit him in the head, "you were responsible for that weren't you Zelretch! Come out! I know you can hear me you bastard!"_

 _There was only silence in reply, causing Issei to growl in frustration before laying back down on the floor as he closed his eyes and waited for the dream to end. 'I will get stronger, with or without his help, even if I'm dealt the worst luck in the world, I'll definitely get stronger,' he thought determined as the dream began to end._

 _However right before he left Issei could have sworn he heard the sound of something cracking and crumbling near one of the sealed doorways._

Opening his eyes Issei found himself once again in the comfort of his room and yawned as he did his daily stretches. Unfortunately as he did so Issei failed to keep track of the time and when his alarm rang again the teen froze as he stared at the clock before getting changed and bolting from his room and out the door.

"Issei where are you going? What about breakfast?" his dad called from inside.

"Sorry dad there should be some leftovers from last night you can heat up," replied Issei before he slammed the door behind him and rushed towards school.

Looking at his watch Issei began picking up the pace, "oh man I'm going to be late."

Memories of the Student Council President's last punishment for being late filled his mind, making Issei reach speeds that would make even the Flash himself impressed as he desperately tried to beat the clock. Finally, Issei allowed himself to feel some form of relief as he saw Kuoh Academy appear in the distance, bringing tears of happiness to his eyes. Cheering with joy Issei made it into the school grounds just as the bell rang making Sona Shitori sigh as she ticked me off the list.

"You're cutting it a bit close Hyoudou-san. In the future I would recommend you keep a better track of the time," she commented, glaring at him.

"R-right I'll get right on that Kaichou," assured Issei as a chill ran down his spine.

Dismissing him with a wave Issei ran towards his first class, desperate to get there on time and not get himself further in the Student Council's bad books. He was in such a rush that the teen didn't notice the person in front of him until it was too late and the two of them collided into each other. Groaning Issei got up from the ground and froze as he saw whom he had knocked over.

Yuuto Kiba otherwise known as the Prince of Kuoh Academy rubbed the back of his head as the school mascot Koneko Toujou helped him up from the ground. "Good morning Hyoudou-san, I hope you're not injured," greeted Kiba.

Before Issei could reply he was immediately tackled by the horde of Kiba fangirls, "Issei Hyoudou how dare you hurt our Prince!"

Seeing this Kiba just sighed before he and Koneko turned and left, trying to ignore the cries of pain coming from Issei as the fangirls continued their beating. "Kiba-kun," said Koneko, breaking the silence.

"What is it Koneko-chan?" asked Kiba as he turned to face her.

"Hyoudou-senpai has a large number of different scents coming from him but the strongest is of a dragon," stated the girl, causing her companion to stumble.

"Could he have a Sacred Gear?" he replied with a frown.

"Possible," replied Koneko.

Kiba sighed before heading to the clubroom, "We'd better tell Buchou about this."

* * *

Issei sighed as he rubbed his recent wounds from the fangirl beating and headed home as the last bell of the day mercifully rung, "um excuse me are you Issei Hyoudou?" asked a female voice.

Spinning around he saw a female teen in a uniform he didn't recognize standing shyly in front of school gate, "that depends why are you looking for him?" he replied, cautiously.

God knows he'd had enough with the girls here beating him up for 'touching their Prince' and he was in no mood for the beatings to continue. "Well my name is Yuuma and I was wondering if you're seeing anyone right now?" she asked, hopefully.

"No not right now…why?" frowned Issei.

"I was hoping we could go on a date," she replied, cheerfully.

Issei's brain literally came to a crashing halt at this, a girl who he has never met before asking him out on a date. If he were part of those 'Perverted Duo' he would have leapt at the opportunity to go on a date with a woman like that. Don't get him wrong, he loved Oppai as much as the next guy but it was tempered by common sense, something that is apparently sorely lacking in those two perverts.

As it was this was definitely odd and a little suspicious but his mother did always tell him to give people a chance, besides what's the worst that could happen? Giving her a smile he nodded, "sure why not, is Sunday at the shopping district any good for you?"

"Yes I'll see you there!" she shouted, happily before running off.

"Well maybe my abysmal luck is finally about to change," grinned Issei happily, not noticing the watchful eyes of Koneko as the girl emerged from her hiding place with a frown.

* * *

All in all the date was going rather well; it had started off a bit weird with some cosplayer giving him a flyer which he then placed in his cardholder but after that, everything seemed to be going great, in fact Issei couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun.

"Hey Issei-kun, could you do me a favor?" said Yuuma as the two stopped by the park water fountain.

"Sure Yuuma-chan what is it?" he asked, although an uneasy feeling began spreading throughout his body.

"Could you please die for me?" she replied with a sickeningly sweet smile as black crow like wings appeared on her back.

Issei's eyes widened and he immediately dodged to the side as his instincts screamed at him to move, only to cry out in shock as a light spear hit the spot he had been standing previously. Issei quickly backed up and glanced at the spot had a just vacated and blanched as he saw a smoking creator remaining.

"Yuuma what the hell are you doing?" he shouted, fearfully.

"I'm sorry Issei but you're a threat to us and need to be eliminated. If you want something to blame then blame your own terrible luck for having being born with that Sacred Gear inside you," replied Yuuma uncaringly as she readied another light spear.

Issei once again dived to the side as the light spear was sent over his head and stripped the nearby plants of their leaves. 'Why? Why do always get the worst luck? Damn it! Damn it!' he thought angrily as Yuuma began laughing at his pathetic attempts to survive. _Who needs luck when you have skill?_ For the briefest moment, Issei froze as he heard his own ten year old's voice echo across his head.

"That's right I forgot didn't I?" he murmured before stopping and turning to face Yuuma with a determined expression.

"My own terrible luck huh? Well a true hero doesn't need luck, a true hero is strong enough to overcome it or they wouldn't be heroes to begin with!" grinned Issei as he reached into his belt cardholder and pulled out the Lancer card, which for the first time in years began glowing.

Looking back up at Yuuma, Issei's grin widened as he held the glowing card out before him while his opponent frowned and sent another light spear at him. Just as the light spear was about to hit, Yuuma heard Issei's voice, "INCLUDE LANCER!"

Immediately afterwards there was a flash of light that obscured everything from view as Yuuma shielded her eyes from the blast. As she opened them the Fallen Angel was shocked and slightly worried as she saw Issei standing there with a predatory grin on his face and a red spear in one hand that was radiating bloodlust.

"You know I should thank you Yuuma, if you hadn't attacked me then I might not have figured out how to use these cards," he said with his grin still present.

"Don't get cocky you lowly human!" snarled Yuuma as she summoned another spear in her hand and threw it at the teen.

Issei merely sighed before deflecting the light spear with his red lance, causing it to explode behind him and as he began calmly walking towards her. "Tell me Yuuma, how many people have you conned with this little scheme of yours hmm? How many people have you killed?" growled the teen as he approached.

"Shut up! They're just worthless humans. Nothing but cockroaches beneath my feet," she growled as she continued raining spears down on him.

Issei just dodged and deflected each one, his eyes never leaving hers as he advanced, "I see then it's safe to assume that you'll continue doing this to others?"

"Of course, you humans are all insects anyway. What does it matter if I kill a few?" she scoffed, causing Issei's eyes to narrow.

"You…you're rotten to the core aren't you? Looks like I have no choice," he sighed before rushing towards her with a speed that rivalled most Devil Knights.

Yuuma was only able to see a blur of movement before he appeared beside her and sent a roundhouse kick to her head, sending her slamming against a wall. The Fallen Angel quickly recovered from her surprise and summoned her light spear just in time to block Issei's red lance, only to see her spear get shattered by the lance that then created a long bloody cut along her arm. Issei then followed up his attack with the blunt end of his lance, hitting Yuuma in the stomach and sending her crashing into the ground a few feet from him.

"Sorry to tell you Yuuma- _chan_ but my lance is much too fierce to be stopped but those pitiful excuses you call spears," informed Issei with a grin.

"You…bastard!" panted Yuuma as she pushed herself up from the ground and glared at her supposedly weak opponent. "Don't…think that…just because…you've unlocked your…Sacred Gear…means…you've won."

Issei looked unimpressed by her boasting, "I'm done holding back Yuuma, and you better start fighting seriously or…"

He suddenly appeared in front her with his lance aimed at her head, "I'll kill you."

Yuuma only just dodged the blow as cut strands of her hair floated to the ground and she was again thrown backwards by a kick to the gut. Finally having enough of this beat down Yuuma snarled before she leapt into the air and begin flying high above him, summoning another spear.

"You see this is the difference between us human! That spear of yours can't do anything to me now can it! Now be a dear and stand still so I can kill you already!" gloated Yuuma.

Issei just laughed, "I suppose now is as good a time as any to use it."

He then grasped the red lance with both hands before getting into an odd stance, Yuuma watched on unimpressed until the bloodlust from the lance skyrocketed as its head began to glow with a red light. The Fallen Angel just prepared to throw her spear but it was too late as Issei looked up at her with a satisfied expression that rapidly turned to surprise as he dodged another barrage of light spears.

"Raynare what the hell is going on?! How hard is it to kill a simple human!" shouted a male voice.

"Shut it Dohnaseek! There's something weird with this kid!" she replied, angrily.

"Well hurry up! We need to kill him before the Devils realize what's going on!" replied a fedora wearing man with black wings and summoning a spear in each hand.

"Fine then get down there and help me you battle maniac!" snarled Raynare as she began pelting Issei with spears.

Dohnaseek just watched appraisingly as Issei deflected and dodged Raynare's spears before an excited smile crossed his face as he leapt towards the human. Sensing him coming the teen brought the lance up to block the downward strokes from Dohnaseek's spears before pushing the male Fallen Angel back with a kick to the stomach.

Not giving the Fallen Angel time to recover Issei sent a rapid number of jabs at his opponent's chest only to see Dohnaseek dodge the strikes before using his feet to sweep kick Issei and knock the human off balance. The teen's enhanced reaction times were the only things that saved him from the Fallen Angel nearly braining him with his two light spears.

Quickly regaining his footing Issei backed up to get some distance and time to think but instead was forced to deflect a barrage of light spears from Raynare, which Dohnaseek then used to once again close the distance between two of them. Again Issei was forced onto the defensive as the more experienced male counterpart pressed his advantage while Raynare continued taking pot shots at the teen.

Dodging another of Raynare's spears Issei grinned as he saw it accidently hit her teammate and immediately used the opening to inflict a deep stab wound in the Fallen Angel's side. Dohnaseek cried out in pain before he retaliated by cutting at Issei's legs in an attempt to cripple him. Thankfully, both attacks were blocked by Issei's lance but it costed him a spear to the shoulder courtesy of Raynare who was still flying above the two fighters.

"Well it would seem you are the better fighter of the two," commented Issei as he ducked under Dohnaseek's spears again before thrusting with his own.

"Trust me kid you haven't seen anything yet," replied the Fallen Angel as he deflected the red lance, cracking his first spear in the process and used his second spear to make a shallow cut along Issei's shoulder.

Grunting in surprise more than pain Issei brought his lance down on cracked spear and shattered it as the blood red lance inflicted a similar cut along the Fallen Angel's side. Dohnaseek's eyes widened as he saw his cracked spear shatter but before Issei could take advantage of the sudden opening he was forced to bring his lance up to deflect another spear from Raynare.

Using this distraction Dohnaseek quickly flew upwards to get some distance between the two of them and summoned a replacement spear. Issei just watched the two Fallen Angels hovering above him with a calculating expression as he weighed the chances of fighting the two of them at once. He could feel his body beginning to tire from the constant abuse it was taking and knew that he couldn't afford for this fight to go on much longer. Thankfully, he still had his ace up his sleeve but if he tried to use it on one of them, it would leave him exhausted and easy prey for the other.

Issei's inner debate was cut short as Dohnaseek swooped down upon him with his two spears, causing Issei to growl as his arms struggled to hold back the Fallen Angel's strength. Before Issei could return the attack however, Dohnaseek flew back into the air before beginning another swooping attack and sending Issei flying into the air from the impact.

Seeing his opponent's helpless position Dohnaseek quickly swooped towards the human like a raptor as he readied his spears for the killing blow. Realizing this Issei stabbed his lance into the ground, halting his flight before twisting in midair and using his momentum to remove his weapon from the ground and swing the lance like a bat at the Fallen Angel. Unable to turn or stop in time Dohnaseek's eyes widened and he brought his two spears up to block the incoming blow as his momentum literally carried him towards the lance.

The two light spears briefly held back the red lance before they both shattered and Dohnaseek cried out in pain as the lance inflicted another narrow cut along his chest and sent him crashing into the ground. Seeing an opening Issei jumped towards the downed Fallen Angel with his lance thrusting towards Dohnaseek's heart. However seeing this and realizing that he didn't have time to summon his light spears to block the Fallen Angel reached up and grabbed the shaft of Issei's lance just as it was about to pierce his heart.

The lance hovered there just above Dohnaseek's chest as the two of them attempted to overpower the other, one attempting to push it away while the other tried to impale his opponent. Eventually the deadlock was broken as Issei heard Raynare approaching from behind and yanked his lance backwards, carrying Dohnaseek along with him as the Fallen Angel failed to anticipate the sudden change in their tug of war.

The male Fallen Angel was once again sent flying and crashed into Raynare which sent the two of them tumbling to the ground, only for them both to roll to either side as they dodged Issei's red lance stabbing where they had been laying seconds earlier. The two Fallen Angels quickly took to the sky as they began to reappraise Issei who was meeting their gaze, a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he picked up Dohnaseek's fedora that had fallen to the ground and placed it on his head.

"What is up with this kid?" muttered Dohnaseek as he tried to ignore the pain from the numerous wounds and summoned his spears.

"I don't know he wasn't anything like this before he summoned that Sacred Gear," replied Raynare, equally wary of the boy.

"Is that even a Sacred Gear? I don't recognize it, do you?" he asked with a frown.

Raynare shook her head, "no I don't but it has to be a Sacred Gear, what else could it be?"

"I don't know but I keep getting the feeling that he's holding back against us, like he could end this in a single attack if he wanted to," answered Dohnaseek with a concerned frown.

"Don't be ridiculous Dohnaseek he's just a human he doesn't stand a chance against the two of us," scoffed Raynare.

Dohnaseek remained silent as he just stared at Issei's lance and frowned as his battle hardened instincts kept screaming at him to run from that demonic spear. The reports had said that the boy had a draconic Sacred Gear not a demonic one and while it was possible for the reports to get it wrong, Dohnaseek couldn't escape the feeling that this wasn't the case.

"Oi are you two done yet? I thought you were supposed to be on a limited time frame?" commented the smug human.

"You smug little shit! I'm going take great pleasure in killing you," snarled Raynare.

Dohnaseek just gritted his teeth as he realized the kid was right, they couldn't afford for the Devils of this city to catch them here. Sighing he and Raynare nodded to each other before the both split up and each began throwing spears from different angles.

"Damn it!" growled Issei as the sheer volume of spears being thrown began to overwhelm him, cuts and scratches beginning to appear along his body.

Finally there was a lull in the spear barrage as both Fallen Angels stopped to recover their energy and stared down in shock at Issei who was panting heavily but still alive and kicking. Sighing as he realized that he would need to use his ace, Issei grasped his lance in two hands and got into his stance, focusing on the more experienced Dohnaseek.

Instantly the bloodlust around them increased tenfold as the tip of Issei's lance began to glow a blood red, begging to be unleashed upon his enemies. Not removing his gaze from Dohnaseek's eyes Issei thrust his lance forward as he activated the Noble Phantasm, making recognition and fear appear in the eyes of the two Fallen Angels.

" **GAE BOLG!** " called Issei as his lance turned into a red beam that began heading straight towards Dohnaseek.

The Fallen Angel quickly dived behind the stone fountain only for the red beam to live up to its name and change direction at an impossible angle before piecing his heart. The name had been called and so the reversal of the nature of causality activated. Instead of the heart being pierced by the thrust of the lance it became; the heart has been pierced so the lance must have been thrust. Meaning that the spear cannot be thrust without the heart first being pierced as Dohnaseek had just found out.

Raynare just watched as the lance pierced her companion's heart before he coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, the expression of shock still on his face. Gae Bolg then transformed back into a red beam before returning to Issei's hand and turning back into a lance as the teen grinned up at her.

"Impossible! Only Cú Chulainn himself can use that weapon! Don't tell me you're one of his descendants! I didn't think he had any left!" exclaimed the shocked Raynare.

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not. The question now is shall we continue this or do you want to call it here?" bluffed Issei with a confident grin as he tried to hide his exhaustion.

Raynare pondered for a minute as she looked between Issei and her dead companion, eyes widening as Issei's image was briefly replaced by a blue clad man eyeing her with an eager smile, before she turned began flying away as fast as possible to get out of the Gae Bolg's range. After she left Issei collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and he began panting heavily as Gae Bolg glowed before turning back into the Lancer card.

"See I knew you could do it," cheered a male voice from a nearby park bench.

It was a good thing that Gae Bolg had already vanished as he probably would have stabbed the bastard right then and there.

* * *

The Occult Research Clubroom was quiet as they all prepared for the summoning that didn't happen, as the silence continued until Kiba was the first to speak up, "Buchou I don't think it's happening."

"Damn it he was supposed to summon me so why didn't he!?" cried a distraught Rias.

"Buchou what's done is done and we can't change that, we just need to deal with it," replied Akeno.

Rias sighed but nodded, "inform Sona about what happened and to make the proper arrangements. Also let her know that I'm done letting these Fallen Angels think they've outsmarted us, from now on if we see them then attack on sight. They will pay dearly for this."

"Understood shall I send out the familiars to search for them?" asked her Queen.

"No that will just alert them that we are aware of their presence, for now stick to your normal activities but if you see one of them, eliminate them," she ordered, making Akeno grin eagerly.

"Ara, Ara, I really hope I see one, I could do with a stress reliever after the death of one of dear little kohai," she muttered as lightning crackled around her fingertips.

Koneko just nodded silently in agreement while Kiba had an angered expression on his face as he summoned one of his swords, imagining it cutting off the crow wings of those murderers. The group shared a moment of silence for the departed student before Kiba eventually spoke up.

"I feel sorry for Issei's father, to lose both his wife and now his son. That must be devastating," he mused.

Rias was silent as she stared down at the table before she sighed and stood up, "I'm going to go inform his father about what happened."

"Buchou are you sure that's a good idea? With those Fallen Angels still around who knows what they're planning next," argued Kiba in concern.

"It's my fault this happened Yuuto, if I had just asked if he would be a member of my peerage none of this would have happened. I need to be the one that informs his father," explained Rias as she headed for the door.

"Then let one of us accompany you, as your Knight I heavily advise against this," he replied, getting nods from the others.

"I appreciate the concern but this is something I must do alone if I want to learn from it. Let me know if anything comes up, I have some bad news to deliver," sighed the president as she closed the door and left the building.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?!" shouted Issei while Zelretch just sat back in his park chair and relaxed.

"I've been to many places boy. Although the exact number not even I know anymore but my last count was around 7 billion," replied the magician with a grin as he got up and gestured for Issei to follow.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! Now where are we going?" sighed the teen, walking after him.

"Why my house of course! Even someone like you should be able to figure that out, after all you want to get those wounds treated don't you?" replied Zelretch happily.

"I swear to God, Zelretch I will stab you with Gae Bolg," growled Issei as his left eye began twitching.

"We're here!" cheered the magician, ignoring him completely.

Looking up Issei's eye began twitching again as he turned back to his companion, "Zelretch this is a maid café."

"So it is," replied Zelretch before walking inside.

Issei briefly debated leaving and forgetting about the crazy old man but the pain of his wounds forced him to follow with a sigh. Upon entering the café Issei immediately fell as the floor beneath him faded away and he was sent tumbling down some sort of slide built into the floor. Suddenly he saw light growing larger and prayed that he was in for a soft landing, he shouldn't have bothered.

"So did you enjoy the ride?" asked an amused Zelretch while Issei slowly picked himself up off the floor and resisted the urge to summon Gae Bolg.

Glaring at the magician Issei hissed as he felt his wounds begin closing up while Zelretch attended to them with some form of healing magic, "that was a good start boy I'm very impressed, taking on two Fallen Angels without any practice using the cards and only in the Include state," congratulated Zelretch.

"Fallen Angels? What are you talking about?" replied Issei.

"Oh you know the stories, angels that sinned and were cast out of heaven for their crimes," answered the magician with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Enough about that tell me how did it feel using the cards for the first time?"

Issei frowned at the sudden change of topic but decided to humor the old man as he brought out the Lancer card from the cardholder. "It felt good…I've never felt that kind of power before but at the same time it felt like I wasn't in full control of my body. Like I was a puppet dancing to some else's strings."

"That feeling will pass in time as you become more in tune with the card's Heroic Spirit," assured Zelretch.

"Heroic Spirit?" repeated Issei in confusion.

"Indeed they are the souls of some of the most heroic and infamous figures in human history who upon their deaths ascended into the Throne of Heroes, complete with the power of their legends that usually manifest as what we call Noble Phantasms," explained the magician with a surprisingly serious expression.

"Like Gae Bolg?" guessed the teen.

Zelretch nodded before continuing, "yes Gae Bolg the legendary spear of the demigod Cú Chulainn is a good example of one. But remember not all are as obvious and easy to use as that one."

"That 'Fallen Angel' I was fighting talked about Cú Chulainn like he was still alive so how can he be in the Throne of Heroes?" argued Issei.

"Ah that's actually rather simple, you see all the Heroic spirits used in your cards are actually from another world," he replied, happily causing Issei's eye to twitch once more as he explained the Holy Grail war and 2nd true magic called Kaleidoscope.

"Let me just see if I got this right, you and these cards are from an alternate reality where the souls of dead heroes and villains fight for the chance to win this 'Holy Grail,' and that you came here by using an incredible type of 'true' magic called Kaleidoscope that lets you travel to different worlds?" he stated as he began rubbing his temples.

"Different times and versions of that war but yes that is the general idea, glad you understand it," commented the magician, ignoring the death stare that Issei sent his way. "Now then, time to check to see if the cards are working properly, boy I need you to use the Lancer card."

Issei debated disobeying just to spite him but as usual his common sense quickly made him throw that option out the window and the teen sighed before he grasped the glowing card, "Include Lancer."

Sure enough the card's glow intensified before it morphed into the recognizable shape of Gae Bolg, resting comfortably in the teen's grasp. Zelretch just walked over to examine the spear before he muttered more words in a language Issei didn't understand and nodded, apparently satisfied with his recent test.

Seeing this Issei dismissed Gae Bolg, which then transformed back into the card that he then put back in the holder. As he looked at the other six in the holder Issei's curiosity began to grow at what other Noble Phantasms each contained.

"It won't work," informed Zelretch, guessing his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" replied the teen as he put the other six cards back into the holder.

"Each of those cards require you to be in tune so to speak with the Heroic Spirit it contains in order to be used, so far you only have a high enough connection to the Lancer class. The others might as well be tarot cards for all the good they'd do in combat," informed the magician.

Issei just sighed, "So how do I increase this 'connection' to the cards?"

"They'll naturally increase over time and with training, but the process can be sped up in different circumstances depending on the Heroic Spirit itself," elaborated the magician.

"What do you mean?" the teen asked with a frown.

"If you find yourself in a similar situation that the Heroic Spirit faced then it will likely improve your connection to that card," explained Zelretch.

"And how am I supposed to do that? The chances of that happening is slim to nil," complain Issei.

The magician nodded happily, "exactly which is why we will be focusing on training instead."

"Training? Where am I supposed to do training?" he grumbled.

Zelretch merely smiled while gesturing to the area they were in and Issei blinked as he saw an entire underground cavern beneath the café, "how the hell did you make all this? Scratch that, how did the real owners of this place not notice it?"

"Magic," replied Zelretch with his annoying grin that once again caused Issei's eye to twitch uncontrollably.

Taking a deep breath the teen tried to put away his frustration for the trolling magician aside and smiled as he imagined chasing the old man around with Gae Bolg. "So how do these cards work? You said they contain Heroic Spirits, does that mean that anyone could use them?" he asked, worried.

Zelretch just shook his head, "no the Heroic Spirits may reside in the cards but they are bonded to your soul now Issei. You're connected to each of them in ways that even I struggle to comprehend."

"So could I use their abilities without the cards?" Issei replied, eagerly.

The magician just gave him a deadly serious look, "in theory yes. But in doing so you will likely suffer irreparable physical and mental changes. These cards act as catalyst for you so you can easily activate the Servant's power but they are also your protection, preventing your mind from being consumed by theirs."

"Even with the cards, using Install still has major side effects," muttered the magician quietly.

"Install?" repeated Issei.

"Something you're nowhere near ready for yet boy, stick to Include for now," ordered Zelretch, sternly and getting a nod of understanding in response.

"Good now that we got that straightened out, are there any more questions before I send you back home?" asked the magician.

"Yeah if Cú Chulainn is in the Lancer card then who are the other six?" questioned Issei, only to groan as he saw a smug smile spread across Zelretch's face.

"Now why would I tell you that? It wouldn't be nearly as entertaining for me if I did that now would it?" laughed the magician.

"Fine then at least explain to me who the hell was attacking me earlier and why! You can do that much can't you?" growled Issei, his short patience long since expired.

"Fair enough," conceded the magician as a smile spread across his face. "Now listen up, you're about to hear a story courtesy of good old uncle Zelretch himself."

"Oh goodie," deadpanned Issei.

Ignoring his unenthusiastic listener Zelretch continued, "you see it all started with the three Biblical factions…"

* * *

Issei frowned as he made his way back home and sighed as he thought about how badly the day had gone, 'first time I get a girlfriend and she tries to kill me...damn Lancer luck. Still who would have thought that Angels and Devils exist and that God is dead.'

The teen was quite shocked when Zelretch had revealed that little tidbit of information but just used it as a reminder that no one was invincible and that he shouldn't get cocky with his power. 'Raynare said she was after me for my Sacred Gear, did she just mistake the Class Cards for one?' he pondered as the teen approached his house.

"Man dad's going to be mad at how late out I was," he muttered with a sigh before opening the door to a sight he never thought he'd ever see.

There sitting in the middle of the room was his father, who was happily drinking a beer while sitting across from him was one of the three 'Great Ojou-samas' of Kuoh Academy, Rias Gremory. Upon hearing the door open they both turned to see him walk in, his father smiling as he greeted his son while Rias just stared at him in complete shock.

"Issei come have a seat and join us, Gremory-chan apparently has something incredibly important to tell us," invited Mr. Hyoudou.

"Oh does she now?" replied Issei as he gave her a suspicious glare that caused Rias to squirm slightly before sitting down next to his father, keeping one hand around the Lancer card should he need it. "Well Gremory-san, we're waiting."

Rias just nodded before staring at him, "Hyoudou-san did anything strange happen today?"

"You mean aside from finding you in my house? No," he lied, making Rias flush in embarrassment.

"So you didn't notice any strange people around or odd events throughout the day?" she continued.

A smug smile appeared across his face as Issei decided to channel a bit of Zelretch, "well there was this one person who seemed really odd."

Rias smiled happily as she continued the interrogation, "good Hyoudou-san now I need you to describe her."

Issei nodded, "okay first it was a woman, seemed about high school age or maybe older by a couple of years."

"That matches what we have so far, now did she have black hair and was she wearing a school uniform of some kind?" she replied with a frown.

"Well she did have a school uniform on but I'm afraid that the woman didn't have black hair," he answered.

Rias seemed slightly shocked at his response but the look disappeared quickly as she collected herself, "I see, Hyoudou-san could you please describe this woman to me."

Issei's grin just widened, "okay she had a buxom figure, blue-green eyes and bright crimson hair. In fact if you want I could give you her name right now?"

Rias' eyes just narrowed as she glared at him, "Issei Hyoudou this is serious and I don't appreciate these jokes."

"Issei she came all the way here by herself the least we can do is take her seriously," scolded his father.

The teen just sighed as he nodded, "sorry Gremory-san I've just had a very trying day today."

"Your date didn't go so well?" guessed his father, causing Rias' eyes to widen in recognition.

"That's one way to put it," laughed Issei.

"Issei Hyoudou does the name Yuuma Amano mean anything to you?" questioned Rias with a suspicious gaze.

'Interesting, so she does know about Raynare. Now the question becomes, how does she know about her? As good as the Occult Research Club is I doubt they were able immediately identify her as part of the supernatural,' he thought.

"Hey Issei wasn't Yuuma-chan the name of that girl you were dating?" questioned his now drunk father.

His son just sighed as he realized that he couldn't deny that now and nodded, drawing a triumphant smile from Rias. "Yeah I know her why do you ask?" he replied.

Instead of responding Rias just turned to look at his father, "Mr. Hyoudou you're looking really tired I think you should go to bed now."

Issei watched as his father's eyes glazed over slight before he shook his head and turned to his son, "Issei I'm going to go to bed remember to lock up before you go to sleep."

The teen nodded and watched as his father left the room before turning to glare at Rias as he pulled the Lancer card out of the cardholder, "you have ten seconds to explain what you just did before I stab you in the heart."

"I never picked you to be the violent type Hyoudou-san," frowned Rias.

"Only when my family is involved Gremory-san, I already lost my mother and I'm not losing him as well," growled Issei.

"I understand believe me I feel the same about my peerage and I swear to you on the name of Gremory that I only used a bit of hypnosis so we could talk nothing more," promised Rias and after looking her in the eyes, Issei was surprised to find he believed her.

"You mentioned a peerage, that must mean you are a Devil," commented the teen.

"You know about us?" questioned Rias in surprise.

"The Fallen Angels mentioned you briefly during our fight," lied Issei, remembering to keep Zelretch a secret.

"You fought off multiple Fallen Angels by yourself! Your Sacred Gear must be incredible," exclaimed the Devil.

"I didn't do that well in fact I nearly died and was covered in wounds after the fight," replied the teen, rubbing the back of his head with a smile on his face.

"Hyoudou-san most humans wouldn't be able to stand up to a single Fallen Angel let alone fight off multiple," lectured Rias, excitedly.

"Just call me Issei, I prefer it," he said as he smiled at Rias before offering a hand.

Seeing this the Devil just flushed and shook his hand with her own smile, "then please call me Rias."

Issei just frowned in concern before he placed a hand on her forehead and causing her face to become the same shade as her hair, "hmm…you don't seem to have a temperature but then again you are a Devil so who knows what's normal for you."

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered before regaining her composure. "Issei your Sacred Gear, could you show it to me?"

Issei frowned as he debated the pros and cons of each choice, after all he could easily say that Gae Bolg was his Sacred Gear but there was a chance she would recognize the spear. 'Still those Fallen Angels didn't recognize it until I said its name, maybe this world's Gae Bolg looks different? I suppose now is as good a time to check as any,' he thought, before sighing as he held up the glowing card.

"Include Lancer," he whispered and the card transformed into Gae Bolg causing Rias' excitement to grow as she examined the spear.

"Can I hold it?" she requested, cautiously.

He just nodded before handing the spear over to her and the Devil stared at it with a confused expression, "is something wrong?" he asked.

"No it just isn't what I expected you to have; I can't detect any sigh of a dragon residing in the spear, in fact I don't recognize this Sacred Gear at all," she replied with a frown.

Issei quickly filled this information away before speaking up, "is that really such a big surprise? I'm sure you haven't memorized every Sacred Gear in existence."

Rias nodded before handing Gae Bolg back to him, "true but that spear doesn't feel like a Sacred Gear but something else entirely. Can you tell me what its name is?"

He grinned having already thought up a name, "It's called Akashi," he lied.

"Red Death? How unimaginative and yet from the bloodlust it gives off, surprisingly appropriate," frowned Rias. "Still I can't remember ever hearing about this Sacred Gear before."

"Maybe I'm the first wielder to ever wake it up?" he suggested, remembering how Zelretch explained these Sacred Gears to him.

"I suppose that is possible but still with how long Sacred Gears have been in existence I find it hard to believe that this one has never been activated until now," responded Rias with a thoughtful expression.

"In the words of a great detective; 'when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth,'" quoted Issei with a smile.

A similar smile spread across Rias' face, "why of course it's elementary my dear Watson."

"Oh please if anything I'm Sherlock and your Watson," he scoffed with fake indignation.

The two just glared at each other before Rias starting giggling, "I can't remember the last time I spoke to someone like this."

"Why? You some important person among the Devil's or something?" asked Issei, eagerly pouncing on this new information.

"It doesn't matter, tell me Issei what do you know about peerages?" replied Rias quickly.

Issei's eyes narrowed at the obvious and sudden change of topics before he shrugged, "only the very basics. A Devil revives another as one of their own but in return they become that Devil's slave, so before you ask no I will not join your peerage Rias."

"While I'll admit that some of my kind are questionable masters I assure you that we of the Gremory clan are nothing of the sort, we treat our peerage members like they were family," she argued, trying to convince him.

"Be that as it may I'm still going to have to refuse you Rias, I like being human and I'm not ever going to give up my freedom if I can help it," he replied, sternly.

The red headed Devil just looked down at the desk with a depressed expression on her face before she sighed, "I see, that's a shame I would have liked having someone like you in my peerage."

"I'm sure you'll find a better fighter then me willing to join your peerage Rias," encouraged Issei as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Rias just looked up him with a sad smile, "I don't want you for your combat skills Issei. I want you for your nature. Did you know you are one of the first people to causally call me by my name like this in years? Even with my own peerage, it's always Buchou to them."

Issei looked at her in surprise while Rias' eyes widened as she realized what she had just said and immediately stood up before heading to the door, only to be stopped by Issei grasping her shoulder.

Spinning around she saw him giving her another warm smile that made her face heat up, "Rias just because I won't join your peerage doesn't we can't be friends. In fact why don't I join the ORC? I was always fascinated by the supernatural."

A happy smile spread across her face as she replied, "Issei Hyoudou, I, Rias Gremory, accept you into the Occult Research Club. I'll send someone to collect you after class tomorrow so be ready ok?"

"Looking forward to it Rias," he waved to her and watched as she seemed to almost skip away from his house before shutting the door behind.

"Occult Research Club huh? Looks like tomorrow's going to be an interesting day," he mused and headed up to bed, letting his exhausted body finally get the rest it deserved.

* * *

 **And that's done so how did you guys like the first chapter? The purpose of this chapter was merely to set the story up for future events also keep in mind this story might eventually stop following canon. Next the Heroic Spirits and Throne of Heroes, if I got it wrong please don't bite my head off in the reviews as I actually know very little about the process itself. I'm sure I mistook something in that explanation but that's the one being used in the story so please just go with it.**

 **Also I know that this isn't how the Class cards work in Fate Kaleid but once again I'm changing it for the story, so if you don't like it then sorry but it's not changing. Next this will be a harem story simply because it wouldn't be DxD without it and remember Issei is OOC in this story.**

 **Lastly the identities of the Heroic Spirits sealed in the cards, I have all of them but Assassin already decided and there were clues in this chapter to who their identities are. But I need help with Assassin, PM or review who you think would make a good Assassin, but keep in mind I've only seen; F/SN, F/Z, Fate/Extra and some of Fate Apocrypha.**

 **Anyway if this story gets enough support then I'll continue it but it'll be awhile until the next update due to exams, so yeah hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Last thing let me know if I should keep the Japanese honorifics or ditch them.**

 **List of known Heroic Spirits:**

 **Saber: ?**

 **Lancer: Cu Chulainn**

 **Archer: ?**

 **Caster: ?**

 **Rider: ?**

 **Berserker: ?**

 **Assassin: ?**

 **Awesome Fate series and Highschool DxD crossovers that I highly recommend:**

 **A Demon Lord's Hero by Fahad09**

 **Representation of Humanity by Writer with bad Grammar T-T**

 **Fake x Fate by kyugan**

 **Another Kaleidoscope by Ouroboros Snake**

 **Kaleid Liner Lias' Pawn by Lunar Wave**

 **Dragonic Fate Works by Kratos1989**


	2. Lancer Takes Knight, Check

**Hey everyone so the response for this fic was incredible, over 80 follows and favorite in 24 hours, I woke up the next day and was shocked at the number of notifications in my email from Fanfiction. So thanks for everyone who decided to follow this story and I'll try to make it worth the read.**

 **As for the Servants, I'm impressed that most of you seemed to have gotten all of them right. The only one that seems to be throwing some people is the Archer class. Also I've narrowed down the Assassin class to two candidates so that should be decided soon.**

 **Lastly the harem: When I write the romance is the last thing I focus on as it usually is only there for the comedy or to help the plot and not the other way around. So the harem won't be the main focus of this fic, that being said Irina and Asia are definitely going to be part of it as well as possibly Koneko for plot reasons.**

 **Time to answer some questions:**

 **Bunny153539: I'll think about it, but for now there is no plans for that sorry.**

 **Anonymous: All I'll say is remember what Zelretch said about Installing the cards.**

 **Suzululu4moe: Thanks for reminding me about that, I actually forgot. If only there was an incredibly powerful entity stored inside Issei that could power them…**

 **Guest: Yeah you're right I didn't think of that. I completely forgot to use Japanese culture instead of Western for that scene.**

 **blakraven66: You have a point but remember that Zelretch said he took these Heroic Spirits _during_ their wars, meaning that Berserker already had that weapon from the Einzbern's.**

 **Dragonlordandsword: Oh trust me I have plans for those guys, and their meeting with Issei will definitely not be the way you're expecting.**

* * *

 _The man's life was a heroic and yet sad tale, he who was destined to become the 'shield of Ulster' and yet for all his strength he could not protect those he held dear. A man that seemed to be a harbinger of misfortune, who fought against it every step of the way as he forged his legend and strived to be the strongest, he got his wish only to find it short lived…and bittersweet._

 _His life started out in the oddest of circumstances, born of a deity and a mortal, the boy's upbringing was nothing like his noble heritage. His mother refusing to marry and instead fleeing into the Land of the Young to raise the child with what few loyal friends and family she had left. There she gave birth to the child of the sun god and thus the boy named Sétanta was born into the evergreen land of Erin._

 _Sétanta immediately showed superior talent and supernatural abilities from birth that quickly isolated him from his peers. Eventually moving to the Northern kingdom of Ulster with his uncle, the boy joined the King's army in order to get stronger. It was here that he suffered the first of what would be a long string of bad luck, which would eventually spell his doom._

 _As the boy began to distinguish himself in the King's army, it drew the attention of the monarch himself whom invited him to meet a friend, the master blacksmith Culann. However Sétanta was in the middle of a competition with his friends and his pride and desire to get stronger refused to let him simply forfeit the match. Instead, the boy boldly told the King to go on without him and that he would 'catch up after he won.' The King just laughed and agreed as he walked off to the house with Sétanta following once the competition was over._

 _However, misfortune struck when a servant shut the gates of the blacksmith's house before he arrived and the boy found himself under attack by 'Culann's savage dog,' a monster known to have the strength of ten men. Unarmed and alone it seemed to be the end of Sétanta but the boy defied fate and instead strangled the guard dog with his own bare hands. A crowd gathered and stared at the boy in astonishment who was standing over his dead opponent. Once Sétanta saw the sadness in the eyes of the blacksmith whom was staring at the body of his loyal companion he felt a twinge of guilt._

 _As repayment, he asked, "Does this dog have children? If he does, could you allow me to take care of them? I will raise them to be guard dogs just as strong as their father. Until then, I will be your guard dog."_

 _However, Culann just smiled appreciatively and shook his head stating that he would be the one to train the dogs that protected his manor. The old blacksmith then stared at Sétanta before replying that the boy himself should get stronger instead as he would soon become the 'guard dog of all of Ulster.'_

 _And so the boy was soon known by another name, 'Culann's savage dog' or Cú Chulainn._

 _The boy then returned to his training to be a knight and was sent to a druid to prepare for his rites of warrior hood, ignoring the prediction that none in the group would become famous warriors._

 _After his rites, the druid then turned to look at Cú Chulainn with a sad frown and said, "in exchange for glorious deeds of valor, your life will be short."_

 _Cú Chulainn just smiled._

 _Completing his rites the boy was then accepted as a Knight of the Red Branch, much to the anger of the King who was shocked that this thirteen-year-old was made into a Knight. Once again, misfortune struck as Cú Chulainn and his King erupted into an argument and ending in a demonstration of the boy's strength, earning the ire of the King. Having his authority severely limited Cú Chulainn began searching for strong opponents when he came across the most beautiful of women named Emer._

 _In order to prove himself to his newfound love he travelled to the Land of Shadows and sought out the sorcerer named Scáthach. Upon finding the sorcerer and training under her, Cú Chulainn met the warrior that he would one day consider his older brother, Ferdiad._

 _Together the three of them grew close but after completing his training and mastering the demonic spear Gae Bolg, Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad left for their respective countries. Before he left, Cú Chulainn told Scáthach that should she bare his son then to name him Connla and to send him to Ulster._

 _However, what should have been a happy and momentous occasion turned dark as Cú Chulainn unknowingly spelled the doom of his son. The father gave Connla three vows he had to follow, 'to not answer his name when asked,' 'to not change course' and 'to not back down from a fight.'_

 _Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad parted ways shortly after the two left Scáthach as they both realized that they wouldn't persuade the other to abandon their countries. The two brothers in all but blood just laughed before they began the long trip back to their homes._

 _Upon returning to Ulster, Cú Chulainn fought many battles for his country and quickly became renown throughout all of Erin, and even married his childhood love Emer. However, his short-lived happy youth soon came to a crashing end as he was once again called to defend his country._

 _Fighting off the invading army almost single handedly, Cú Chulainn was forced to watch as the Red Branch trainees protecting him were slaughter to the last man. Unfortunately for him this drew the attention of the Goddess Morrigan who offered him protection but he refused, believing that he needed this to get stronger._

 _Angered by this insult the Goddess herself began to attack only to find Cú Chulainn able to fend off every one of her blows and even treat her wounds afterwards. Admiring his noble heart the Goddess left with a faint blush on her cheeks._

 _However, the fates were not done torturing the man and he suffered through the worst hell imaginable as he fought: coming face to face with his friend Ferdiad._

 _He didn't want to fight the man he considered his brother but their orders were absolute, their honor forcing them to put aside their close friendship as they sought to kill each other. The two were evenly matched and so for the first time Cú Chulainn was forced to use Gae Bolg…on the man he called brother._

 _As he lay his brother to rest and they said their final farewells Cú Chulainn only sighed as he looked at his pride and joy Gae Bolg, now dripping with Ferdiad's blood. The enemies upon seeing this were finally routed and Ulster was safe once more, yet for Cú Chulainn it was a bittersweet victory._

 _His misfortune didn't end there however as soon after the war reports came of a young man causing problems near the coast and beating any warrior that dared approach him. Therefore, the King commanded Cú Chulainn to face him, much to the horror of Emer who tried to convince him otherwise._

 _However, his loyalty and honor could not let him disobey a direct order from his King and so Cú Chulainn travelled to this man and fought him to the death. Once again finding himself evenly matched Cú Chulainn was forced to use Gae Bolg and pierced the heart of this young man._

 _As the man looked at the spear in shock he turned to Cú Chulainn and murmured, "She didn't teach me that."_

 _Once again, the spear was used and once again, it took a life. And so Connla died by his own father's hand's._

 _Twice was Gae Bolg called and twice it claimed the life of Cú Chulainn's loved ones._

 _His misfortune seemed never ending as Ulster was again invaded and Cú Chulainn was forced to break his many vows that he made over the years to defend it. Suffering curse after curse as the gods exacted their punishments for those broken vows, he suffered through thousands of traps, horrible injuries and yet still continued fighting furiously for his homeland. Eventually being impaled by his own spear the Shield of Ulster refused to die laying down and struggled to his feet with a smile on his face as he passed on to the afterlife._

 _Unfortunately not even death would be the end of this hero's misfortune, summoned for a war he had no interest in other than fighting strong opponents. He was denied this one wish as he watched his master get killed and replaced by a dishonorable coward, forced to only watch as these incredible fighters pitted themselves against each other._

 _Still despite of all this, Cú Chulainn never regretted his lot in life, knowing that a hero shouldn't need to rely on luck to excel and that he became one with his own power. Even if Gae Bolg, the symbol of his legend, the symbol of his heroism was forever stained with the blood of his loved ones._

 _Indeed despite his misfortune, Cú Chulainn bore it all with a smile, just as any true hero should. Believing that one day his luck would change and the symbol of his pride, the symbol of his legend, Gae Bolg, would be remembered fondly with a smile and not with sadness. That it would break the cruel fate surrounding it and would be used to protect loved ones instead of reaping them._

 _It would just be a shame that he would not be the one to do so, that he would not live to see this future unfold but even still he believed in it. But now it was time to pass the torch on to the next generation, after all no hero lives forever._

 _May Gae Bolg serve its next wielder better then it served me, become strong and fight well Issei Hyoudou for you now carry with you the hope and pride of Cú Chulainn._

Issei woke in a cold sweat as he jumped out of his bed and fell to the floor in a panic, groaning the teen picked himself up from the ground before glancing at the Class cards spread out across his nightstand. Picking up the Lancer card, he stared at it before calling out Gae Bolg and just examined the blood red lance with a cautious look on his face.

"What was that?" he muttered, thinking about the near lifelike dream he had just woken up from with a start.

Was that Cú Chulainn's memories? Was that would happen to him if he continued down his path to become stronger? No he couldn't, he wouldn't hurt those he cared for like that! Would he? As a worried panic began to fill his mind, the teen suddenly felt a small pressure on his shoulder.

Spinning around with Gae Bolg at the ready, he found no one there except his own reflection in the mirror staring back at him. As he looked into the mirror, Issei was shocked as he saw the panicked expression on his face. However, the expression quickly died as he felt an oddly calming pressure coming from Gae Bolg, allowing his thoughts to slowly return to normal.

"That's right I already decided didn't I? I would become strong to protect my family and my friends, no matter what fate throws at me I will get stronger. There is no way I would ever hurt them like that is there," he laughed as he put the memories of the dream to the back of his mind.

As he dismissed Gae Bolg, Issei felt the pressure return on his shoulder and as he looked back up to the mirror he had to do a double take. It might have been a trick of the eye, nothing more than his imagination but for a brief moment he could have sworn he saw a familiar blue clad man nodding his head approvingly as he placed a hand on Issei's shoulder before disappearing.

Issei wasn't sure how long he just stood completely still and stared there at his mirror, his brain struggling to comprehend what it just saw. It wasn't until his alarm clock starting beeping that the teen woke from his trance and quickly glanced at the time, the colour draining from his face as he did so.

"Not again!" he cried in distress as the teen rushed to get changed and grab his cards before bolting out the door, once again nearly knocking his dad over in the process.

However, in his mad rush to get ready for school Issei didn't notice what appeared to be a large black crow that had been observing him outside his window since he woke up. Its eyes displaying an unnatural intelligence for a simple animal and if anything, it looked surprised at the sight of Gae Bolg. As Issei rushed towards school, the crow watched him go before flying after him, making sure to keep the teen in sight.

The crow just watched as the teen was scolded by a devil for being late before he went about the rest of his day, oblivious to the new observer he had.

* * *

Issei sighed as walked into his class and tried to ignore the numerous glares sent to him by the girls already in the classroom, and curiously twin death stares sent by the 'Perverted Duo.' Sighing and deciding to just deal with it later the teen made his way over to his desk, only to be ambushed before he could reach it.

"Issei Hyoudou you bastard!" shouted an angry voice as the teen in question side stepped a tackling Matsuda.

"Matsuda-san? What are you doing?" frowned Issei in confusion.

"Getting pay back!" replied the pervert.

"For what?" asked the teen.

"You know what you did Hyoudou!" growled Motohama as he rushed over to his friend's side and helped him up off the ground.

Issei just continued to stare at them in confusion as he thought back to the past couple of days, trying to remember if he did anything to offend them. However, he couldn't think of anything, in fact he was the only one in the class who gave them any sort of respect, actually willing to hold up a conversation with the duo rather than beating them up or simply ignoring them.

"Umm…Motohama-san I'm sorry for…whatever I did to insult the two of you, it wasn't my intention but can you at least tell me what I did," he replied, diplomatically.

"YOU GOT A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE US!" they both shrieked, causing Issei to blink in confusion.

"Girlfriend? What are you talking about?" he repeated.

"Don't play dumb with us Hyoudou, we saw you last Friday talking to that pretty girl outside the school gate. You even got her to ask YOU out! How did you do it damn it!" cried Matsuda as anime tears began pouring down his face.

'Last Friday? So they saw me with Raynare did they? Well that shouldn't be a problem, they're idiots anyway,' he thought as his eyes widened in recognition before the teen shrugged.

"She's not my girlfriend. That date was a one-time thing only, turns out we just weren't very compatible with each other. Still that just means she is free for you two now right? Just let me know if you see her and I'll hook you up," smiled Issei as the two pervert's eyes lit up in happiness.

'After all forcing Raynare to deal with these two should be appropriate punishment for that Fallen Angel, their lust could rival Azazel himself,' he thought jokingly. The two perverts just stared at him in shock before they ran over and hugged as they cried into his shoulder, drawing the attention of the rest class.

"Hyoudou-san I take back every bad thing I ever said about you!" cried Motohama as he rapidly began shaking Issei's hand in joy.

"Hyoudou-san you truly are a saint to take pity on us humble followers of Oppai," praised Matsuda as he got on his knees and began bowing.

"Alright you two cut it out, you're making a scene," replied Issei as he saw the class began staring at him before whispering to each other.

"I knew he was a pervert why else would he talk to those two?" whispered one of his classmates, causing Issei to sigh as the two perverts calmed down.

Noticing the glares from the girls hadn't abated he frowned and turned to his two new 'followers,' "I don't suppose you know why the girls in this school are trying to burn a hole in my head?" he questioned them.

The two just glanced at each other before Motohama replied, "it probably has something to do with the rumors spreading about you."

"What rumors?" frowned Issei.

"Well there is a rumor going around that you're madly in love with the damned pretty boy Yuuto Kiba," informed Matsuda and making the teen begin coughing up a lung.

"W-What?! That's ridiculous!" he choked out.

"Well the rumors said that last Friday you couldn't contain it anymore and so you tackled him to the ground in order to deal with your sexual longings. Apparently it was only thanks to the 'Kiba protection squad' that you didn't take his virginity," explained Motohama.

"That's not what happened!" shouted Issei, drawing the attention of the class.

"So you didn't tackle him to the ground?" questioned Matsuda.

"Well technically I did…but it was a complete accident I swear," admitted the teen only to groan as the intensity of the glares increased tenfold.

Issei just sighed as he sat down into his chair, silently lamenting his damned Lancer luck while waiting for Rias to send someone to collect him. 'Still at least this should blow over soon, after all everyone should forget about these rumors after a day or too,' he thought optimistically.

Issei should have remembered that tempting fate was a bad idea.

Hearing the door open the teen looked up and his face blanched as he saw none other than the Prince of Kuoh academy, Yuuto Kiba himself walk in and approach him. 'No, no, please anyone but him, I beg you God,' prayed Issei in his head.

Issei really should have remembered that God is dead.

"Excuse me Issei-kun, are you ready to go? We have a very limited time together and I just can't wait to get to know you better," grinned Kiba.

'Why would you phrase it like that?' groaned Issei as he heard the mutterings increase in volume before getting up and following Kiba out.

"NO! Our sweet Kiba-kun, our Prince has been corrupted! Damn you Hyoudou you'll pay for this!" screamed the girls as they glared at him with enough killing intent to rival Gae Bolg.

The two were silent as they headed into the old school building until Issei glared at his companion, "you know there is such a thing as tact, you might want to try it sometime."

Kiba just gave him that irritating smile as he replied, "Whatever do you mean Issei-kun?"

'He knows exactly what I mean,' realized Issei with a frown. "You know this will affect you as well as me right? How will the great Prince of Kuoh react without his group of followers fawning over him?" he growled.

Kiba just kept smiling as he approached Issei, "that doesn't matter as long as we can be together Issei-kun."

Issei backed up as alarm bells began ringing in his head, "whoa, back up there pretty boy. I don't swing that way!"

Kiba just laughed as he turned around and continued walking, "my apologies Issei-kun but I couldn't resist a bit of teasing. Rest assured the rumor mill will die down quickly, after all I'm sure they have better things to talk about."

"I think you underestimate the imagination and devotion of your 'fans' Kiba-san, believe me this will not blow over quickly," sighed Issei as he followed his companion from a safe distance.

"This is it," announced Kiba as the two of them stopped before a wooden door and began knocking. "Buchou we're back and I've brought Hyoudou-san."

"Come in," replied Rias' voice from the other side of the door.

The two of them walked in and Issei saw Rias smiling as she sat on behind her desk while the rest of the Occult Research Club were scattered across the room. Seeing the red head gesturing for him to have a seat Issei sat down on the couch across from the table, making sure to keep all the room's occupants within his view. He might trust Rias but still it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Thanks for coming Issei," greeted Rias happily.

"Thanks for having me Rias," he replied.

"Ara, ara, already referring to each other so causally, you're a fast worker aren't you Buchou?" grinned the black haired girl next to the red head.

"Akeno it isn't like that!" cried a red-faced Rias.

Coughing the devil then turned back to Issei as she began to introduce her peerage, "this is my Queen, Akeno Himejima."

The girl in question just gave Issei a smile that sent shivers down his spine before Rias then pointed to the white haired girl that was currently gorging herself on snacks in the corner. "Koneko Toujou, my rook," introduced Rias as Koneko simply gave him a suspicious glare.

"My sweets," she warned with an almost cat-like growl and held the box of food closer to her chest.

Ignoring her rook's behavior Rias then moved on to the pretty boy leaning on the corner of the room, "and lastly we have Yuuto Kiba, my Knight."

"Looking forward to working with you Hyoudou-san," smiled Kiba, grateful to no longer be the sole male in the club.

"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Issei quietly before standing up and introducing himself. "My name's Issei Hyoudou but just call me Issei. I may not be a Devil but I'm looking forward to working with you."

"So you're the one that fought off those Fallen, I do hope you made them suffer," grinned Akeno, again sending shivers down his spine.

"It's impressive that you were able to fight them off, Buchou told me your Sacred Gear was demonic in origin. If so would you mind showing me?" requested Kiba.

"Why?" replied the teen with a frown.

"Kiba here is more knowledgeable on Demonic Sacred Gears then I am due to his own Sacred Gear, Sword Birth. He might be able to recognize it," explained Rias.

Issei just shrugged before he took out the Lancer card and prepared to summon Gae Bolg, "include Lancer, Akashi!" he shouted, feeling smart for adding the fake name.

There was a brief flash of light before Gae Bolg appeared in his hands and Issei smiled at the Knights confused expression as he handed Kiba the spear. The Knight examined it for a minute before he sighed and handed the spear back to Issei with a defeated expression that made the teen's spirits lift.

"Sorry Buchou, Issei, but I don't recognize that spear. It is definitely a demonic weapon but I've never felt anything quite like it before," he sighed as he reported to Rias.

"Could it require special circumstances to activate? That could be why we've never heard of it being used before," proposed Rias as she stared at the Knight whom just shrugged.

"Possible but unlikely, I've yet to hear of a Demonic Sacred Gear that couldn't be awoken in the usual way," replied the Knight with a frown.

"What do you mean 'usual way?'" questioned Issei, storing this knowledge for later.

Rias just turned to face him with a confused frown, "most Sacred Gears are actually relatively easy to awaken if you're determined enough. It's all about your mental state, the best method is to picture the strongest thing you can imagine and usually they are awoken."

"But this wasn't the case with mine," concluded Issei and getting a nod from Rias.

"Indeed so you can understand our confusion about Akashi," replied Rias with a sigh as she began rubbing her temples.

Eventually seeming to snap out of her stupor Rias stood up from the chair, "well I think that's it for today."

"Really that's all?" questioned Issei surprised.

"Today was merely an introduction, tomorrow we will be doing actual work," replied Rias, only to be stopped by Kiba.

"Actually Buchou if you don't mind I'd like to challenge Issei-kun to a duel," he announced, shocking every present.

"I have no problem with that, after all I still need to get payback for what you did in the classroom," smirked Issei.

Rias just looked between the two boys who were staring at each other with excited expressions and sighed, "very well, I'll prepare the barrier."

* * *

Mittelt sighed as she flew over the city, loving the feeling of the wind rushing against on her skin and through her feathers. There were times when it really did pay to be a Fallen Angel and these flights of hers was one of them.

Her mood soured however as she remembered why she had left the abandoned church in the first place, growling at the memory of Kalawarner and Raynare mocking her child-like form. It wasn't her fault damn it! It didn't make it any better that her two colleagues had begun treating her like some child once they saw the humans doing the same.

"I swear I'm going to kill that Freed, this is all his fault," she grumbled, angrily.

The Fallen Angel just sighed as she began to head back to their base, Raynare wanted them all to stay there until that idiot nun showed up. Apparently she had been scared by the human she was supposed kill but instead returned beaten and bleeding with one less member of their group.

Mittelt frowned as she remembered the nonsense her 'leader' had been spouting, honestly Raynare had probably been hallucinating from blood loss. Turning the Fallen Angel began heading back towards the church when she felt a barrier forming around the devil's school building.

"What are those devil's up to?" she muttered and briefly debated her options.

She could leave and not worry about it, it was the less risky option but at the same time this was the perfect chance to get some intel on them. Plus if she succeeded then Raynare and Kalawarner would have eat their own words about her being a useless waste of space.

With her decision being made the Fallen Angel quietly approached the school building and headed towards where she heard the sound of clashing metal coming from the courtyard. Hiding in the nearby tree line Mittelt was greeted to the sight of the devil's Knight and the human boy fighting each other ferociously. The Fallen Angel could barely track the two as they became a blur of movement, in fact she was so focused on the fight that Mittelt nearly jumped as she saw something move above her.

Slowly looking up the Fallen Angel relaxed as she just saw a lone crow staring at her before it began preening its feathers. Breathing a sigh of relief Mittelt returned her attention back to the fight not noticing the crow stop preening itself and doing the same.

* * *

"How will decided the winner?" asked Issei.

"Hmm…how about by first blood or until one of us is unable to continue?" replied Kiba, getting a nod from Issei.

"Ready Issei-kun?" inquired the Knight as the two stood facing each other on opposite ends of the courtyard behind the old school building.

"Are you?" taunted Issei as he gripped Gae Bolg with both hands.

Rias along with the two other members of her peerage were standing off to the sidelines and watched with concerned yet eager expressions on their faces. Issei just frowned as he saw Kiba summon a sword from nowhere and thought back to what Zelretch had told him about peerages, 'he's got a Knight piece so that means that he's the equivalent of the Lancer and Rider class for the peerage system.'

This was both a blessing and a curse since Issei was confident that, even without the full benefits of the Lancer class on him, that he would be able to keep up with the devil's speed but by the same token there was no way he was going to out speed his opponent. Which meant this was going to come down to an endurance contest to see who could out last the other, putting Issei at an immense disadvantage with his human heritage.

After all, that fight with those two Fallen Angels had left him exhausted and Issei had a nagging feeling that his new opponent was an even better fighter then those two combined. Suddenly the Knight of Gremory rushed towards Issei and sent a quick overhead slash that was blocked by the shaft of Gae Bolg. Kiba then leapt backwards, using Issei himself as a springboard as he dodged the blunt end of the spear swinging at where his stomach had been moments before.

As the Knight regained his distance he gave Issei an approving nod as a smile crossed the blonde's face, while Issei returned the gesture before beginning his own charge. Kiba quickly turned his body in a half turn as the blood red lance pierced where his chest had been earlier and retaliated by sending an his own demonic blade towards Issei's neck. Seeing this Issei quickly ducked under the swing and backed up a couple of steps before once again lunging towards the Knight with pointed at the blonde's chest.

Kiba just brought up his sword and deflected the lance to the side before taking advantage of the opening as Issei overextended. Seeing the Knight's demonic blade rapidly approaching Issei removed a hand from Gae Bolg and with reflexes that surprised even himself grabbed Kiba's wrist and halted the sword's descent. However instead of trying to remove Issei's hand Kiba just grinned as he pulled Issei closer and summoned a second sword into his free hand. Realizing what was about to happen Issei used his other hand to swing Gae Bolg towards the Knight's feet, attempting to trip him over.

In a testament of his skill Kiba's eyes widened as he felt the shaft of the spear hit his legs and in a matter of seconds the Knight dismissed his second sword before using his now free hand to steady himself as he jumped over the spear. Unfortunately for the Knight, Issei still had his other arm locked in a vice grip and the teen used this to hold Kiba in place as he thrusted Gae Bolg at his chest.

Unable to dodge Kiba instead used his Knight Piece reflexes to send a palm strike into the shaft of the spear, deflecting the incoming lance towards Issei's own arm. Growling in frustration Issei was forced to relinquish his hold on the blonde Knight and Kiba immediately used this to go on the offensive. Unable to react in time Issei's eyes widened as Kiba entered extremely close range, putting the teen at a disadvantage as the lance's reach was not only rendered useless but became a hindrance as well.

Knowing this the Knight pressed his advantage as his assault became more aggressive and Issei was beginning to feel himself growing tired as he dodged and blocked every blow that Kiba sent his way, waiting for the blonde devil to make an opening. In contrast the only sign of strain on Kiba was the small drops of sweat that were rolling down his face in small but increasing amounts.

Finally, the teen's patience was rewarded as Kiba overextended in his attempt to overwhelm Issei with his Knight piece's speed. As his sword rapidly approached Issei in a downwards slash the teen grinned as he intercepted it with the shaft of Gae Bolg, only to find the sword refusing to shatter like the light spears of the two Fallen Angels.

This locked the two in a contest of strength, as each knew that to break away from this deadlock would create an opening and so the demonic sword created from a Sacred Gear meet the demonic Noble Phantasm Gae Bolg. As the demonic weapons clashed, the ground beneath the two fighters began to crack from the increasing pressure. The three observers could only watched in amazement as what should have been a quick match in Kiba's favour turned into a stalemate.

Growling as he struggled to push back Kiba, Issei realized this deadlock couldn't go on much longer or it would cost him the match. Sighing the teen pulled away from the stalemate and caused Kiba to quickly slash at his back, forcing Issei dive to the ground to dodge. Seeing his compromising position Kiba charged the downed form of his opponent only for Issei to grin as instead of blocking the strike he spun Gae Bolg in front of him and showcased his own skill by hitting the Knight's wrist with the blunt end of the spear.

Crying out in pain Kiba dropped his sword but didn't have time to recover from the blow as Issei attacked the disarmed Knight relentlessly, not giving him time to summon another sword. Kiba's Knight reflexes and advanced skill were the only things keeping him in the game at this point, proving that even if they were unarmed Issei couldn't take a devil lightly.

Deciding he'd had enough Kiba rushed at Issei with a speed the human could barely track and faster than anything Issei had seen before. All he could see was the image of Kiba blur before he saw a fist approaching his face and was sent skidding across the ground. Rubbing his head and groaning in pain from a massive headache Issei swayed to his feet and stared at Kiba who had already summoned another sword with a slightly different design to the first.

"Surprised? Don't worry not many humans can keep up with a Devil Knight when they get serious," explained the blonde devil.

"So you're finally getting serious are you?" replied Issei with heavy breaths.

"Hey Issei-kun do you know what my Sacred Gear's ability is?" asked Kiba with a smile.

"You can summon those swords of yours whenever you want," replied Issei as he tried to recover his strength.

"Close but not exactly right. Sword Birth lets me make any Demonic Sword I want, for instance one that would shock its victims with enough electricity to rival a stun gun. Not very useful against devil's or other supernatural creatures but against humans it is surprisingly effective," commented Kiba as the sword he held suddenly came alive with electricity.

Issei's face blanched as he realized the implications of that sword, it didn't matter if he blocked it or not the electricity would still travel down the weapon and shock him anyway. Which meant his only chance to win this now was to not get hit by that sword even once, near impossible with Kiba's newly increased speed.

The teen's inner strategy meeting was cut short as the image of Kiba began to blur and Issei immediately dodged to the side before stabbing Gae Bolg just behind where he had been standing. If Kiba was surprised by the lance suddenly thrusting towards him he didn't show it and instead bended backwards as the spear passed just above his head.

Recovering quickly the Knight grabbed Gae Bolg's shaft and brought the spear up to meet his electrified demonic sword, eyes widening Issei had no choice but to let go the spear entirely as it became charged with electricity. Kiba just threw the spear to the opposite end of the courtyard where it stuck into the ground and walked over to where Issei was standing.

"Do you wish to yield Issei-kun?" asked the Knight.

"No way, it's no longer just my pride and honor alone on the line anymore Kiba. Someone told me to fight well and get strong and I can't do that if I just give up whenever things get tough," replied Issei.

Their three observers just stared at him like he was mad while Kiba himself just had a surprised look on his face before he nodded in understanding, "very true forgive me for insulting you Issei-kun. Shall we finish this?"

"If you think you can," smirked Issei.

Kiba just smiled before his image began to blur again and this time Issei grinned as he sent out a punch to the space beside him and was rewarded with the shocked face of the blonde Knight. If anyone had taken the time to look at Issei's fist they would have seen, for the briefest moment, what appeared to be a green glowing gem embedded in it as it hit Kiba's stomach.

Much to the shock of everyone, including Issei himself, the blonde devil was sent flying across the courtyard from the force of the punch. Issei immediately used this to his advantage as he rushed over to Gae Bolg and brought the spear up just in time to smash Kiba in the gut with the blunt end of the lance. The Knight staggered slightly before he dived to the ground and quickly rolled to his feet as the blood red lance pierced the spot he had just vacated.

"What was that you said Kiba? Only a few humans can keep up with a Devil Knight? Well it looks like I'm one of them," smiled Issei as he twirled the spear back into a ready position.

"Indeed it appears I underestimated you Issei-kun," laughed Kiba eagerly as he brought his electrified demonic sword back up to its own stance.

Issei and Kiba just both charged each other with their demonic weapons and the three observers were shocked as the two combatant's became a blur of movement that even their eyes struggled to track, kicking up dust in the process that further obscured the pair. Eventually the dust settled and Rias was shocked to see Gae Bolg pressed against Kiba's chest, directly where his heart would be while Kiba's sword was hovering against Issei's neck.

"It would appear to be a draw Issei-kun," commented Kiba with a smile as he removed the sword from the teen's neck.

"Apparently so," replied Issei, doing the same as he dismissed Gae Bolg and pocketed the card.

"That was incredible Issei-kun, who taught you to use a spear like that?" questioned Kiba.

"Ah actually no one did, I'm self-taught," replied Issei truthfully, and grinned at Kiba's shocked expression.

"I see and how long have you been practicing for?" continued the Knight curiously.

"A little while," lied Issei as he yawned and approached the three observers, not seeing Kiba's suspicious glance at him as he followed.

"Rias I'm beat, if you don't mind I'm going to head home," informed the teen.

The devil broke out of her shocked stupor and simply nodded, "of course Issei, remember to come to the clubroom during break period okay?"

"Sure thing Rias," he replied and left the courtyard, leaving the devils to silently comprehend what they just saw.

* * *

The crow just silently watched the events from its perch in the tree before flying away, easily avoiding the devil's defenses and laughing at the foolish Fallen Angel attempting to spy on the group, it had seen what it wanted to see and now it had to report on these new events. That style of fighting was definitely the same as _his_ , granted it was a weaker version of it but still, how did that boy mimic it to such a degree?

And that spear, there was no doubt that it was _his_ spear. But that was impossible _his_ spear was currently being hidden back in the Otherworld at this very moment with her colleagues, yet at the same time it was here in the domain of the Shinto faction. The others would not be pleased to hear about this…especially Lugh. The crow sighed as it continued flying until it was out of sight where there was a flash of light and the bird vanished.

* * *

"He's hiding something," accused Kiba with a frown once they were sure Issei had gone.

"What do you mean Kiba?" asked Rias seriously.

The Knight just frowned, "Buchou there is no way that someone can become that skilled with a spear by being 'self-taught.' Even if they had years to practice there would still be flaws in their technique, and yet the skill Issei-kun displayed was at the very least at a master level."

"Next keep in mind that he only awoke his Sacred Gear yesterday, even a master fighter would take weeks to become accustom to a new weapon like that and yet he wields it like he has had it for years. It just doesn't add up," continued Kiba.

"I see," frowned Rias before she turned to Akeno. "How did the search go?"

Akeno just shook her head, "I did what you told me last night but I couldn't find any record of a Sacred Gear by the name of Akashi. I even requested the help of the Student Council but they couldn't find anything either."

"If Sona can't find anything on it then it is a lost cause," sighed Rias as she began rubbing her temples in frustration.

"That's assuming Akashi really is his Sacred Gear," replied Kiba as his frown deepened.

There was silence as the rest turned to face the Knight, "Kiba there is nothing else it could be, Issei-kun is clearly no magician or exorcist," replied Akeno with a confused frown.

"Kiba please explain," ordered Rias.

The blonde devil nodded, "Buchou I've seen many Demonic Sacred Gears and in the brief time I held the spear I can tell you that it is nothing like them. It felt different in fact if I was to try and compare it I would say it's more like the true Demon Swords then any Sacred Gear."

Seeing that he had their attention Kiba continued, "Secondly what about those cards? If one of them transforms into a Demonic spear then what about the others? What's stopping one of them from containing a Holy Sword for all we know?"

"So you believe that the cards are the Sacred Gear and not Akashi?" questioned Rias, happy that they were apparently making progress in figuring out the mystery of Issei Hyoudou.

"Again I think that it is a possibility but…" the Knight trailed off.

"But?" prompted the red head.

Kiba just shook his head, "it's nothing Buchou, don't worry about it."

Rias frowned but before she could speak up the red headed devil was interrupted by Koneko as the young former Nekoshou walked up to them with a worried frown on her normally blank face. "Koneko what's wrong?" asked Rias in concern.

"Blood," replied the white haired girl, fearfully.

"Blood?" repeated the rest of them.

Koneko nodded, "Issei-senpai's scent changed twice, first when he summoned Akashi and later during Kiba-kun's sparring session."

"And you smelled blood?" asked Kiba worriedly.

"When he summoned Akashi his scent changed to resemble that of a blood stained evergreen grassland but during the spar the dragon scent briefly returned more powerful than ever," informed the former Nekoshou.

"Our little kohai certainly is quite the mystery isn't he Buchou," giggled Akeno as she turned to Rias with an amused smile.

"Buchou I really don't think this is a good idea letting him join the ORC, especially after this new information. He could be an agent for the other factions, it's just too dangerous," protested Kiba.

"Don't worry I had his background checked out before this, he has had no contact with any of the factions since he was a child," Rias assured her worried Knight.

"What happened when he was a child?" asked Akeno curiously.

"One of his childhood friends moved to England and was trained as an exorcist by the Anglican Church, however they lost contact with each other ever since she moved and haven't spoken since," informed Rias.

"If you say so Buchou, but what happens if he finds out what your original plan was? He will definitely angry about that," replied Kiba with a frown.

Rias just sighed, "we'll cross that bridge if we get to it Yuuto, for now treat him with the respect you would give to any of our peerage members. Remember you are representing the Gremory family now and we should make a good impression."

"Are we going to introduce him to Sona and her peerage?" asked Akeno.

"Yes we should introduce him to the other devils, it is our duty to do so after all," replied the red head.

Akeno just tilted her head with a fake smile of confusion, "Ara, you mean you're not doing it to establish your claim on him?"

Whatever witty remark that Rias had died unspoken as all of the devils present tensed as they felt something leaving the barrier they had set up around the school. What made it worse was the power they felt coming from the individual, it was definitely that of a Fallen Angel.

"How did we not notice it spying on us?" raged Rias.

"My apologies Buchou, my fight with Issei-kun must have distracted us," replied Kiba with a depressed expression.

"It's not your fault Yuuto, none of us could have known this was going to happen," comforted Rias with a sigh.

The club president then turned to face the rest of her peerage, "let's head home, unfortunately that Fallen Angel is long gone and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Yes Buchou," they replied unhappily.

* * *

Mittelt just laughed happily at her the success of her spying operation, not only did she get to see the boy's and devil's fighting ability but she even found some incredible information on both their Sacred Gears. The devil's Sword Birth would likely prove to be a problem if they were attacked however, that human's Sacred Gear wouldn't be a problem if the devil's theory proved to be true.

Both Kalawarner and Mittelt had been extremely surprised when Raynare had come back and immediately told them to back off their target. Apparently, that idiot thought that he was the descendant of Cú Chulainn and didn't want to pick fights with the Celtic Mythos. Ridiculous what would a member of the Celts be doing in Shinto territory?

Neither Kalawarner nor Mittelt had believed their 'leader' but it was true that the boy had managed to kill Dohnaseek, who was the best fighter among them and so they kept their distance. But now things were different, the boy was clearly exhausted from his fight with that devil and if the devil boy was right all she needed to do was steal his cards and then he would be helpless. She laughed, a tired and defenseless human, killing him would be like taking candy from a baby.

She'd have act fast though, before he recovered his strength and that meant there wasn't time to tell the others what she'd found, Mittelt would have to do this solo. Then after she had killed him, she would prove to those two that she was not just a useless waste of space, that she was just a part of this operation as anyone else! Then they would have to acknowledge her, treat her with the respect she deserved and not as some stupid little kid. Flying off in the direction she saw the human go down, she began plotting on how best to separate him from those cards.

As a plan began to form in her mind Mittelt grinned and began searching for the boy, making sure that none of those devils had caught up or were following her. Eventually after a couple of minutes of fruitless searching she found him walking down a deserted street, looking further ahead the Fallen Angel saw a bunch of delinquents crowding around a street light. Laughing at her fortune Mittelt descended down onto the ground behind a building before approaching the delinquents, sometimes looking like a child did have its perks.

* * *

There was a dead silence in the usually loud and boisterous halls of the large castle, hidden from the mortals in the Otherworld. No songs were sung, no drinks were drunk, not even any fights were breaking out as the all stared at the black clad women in shock.

"Could you please repeat what you just said?" asked a large muscular man as he put down his tankard, even though everyone knew it was an order rather than a request.

The black clad women just sighed as she repeated her earlier statement, "the source of that power we felt was Gae Bolg. It is currently in the possession of a teenage human whom has clearly already mastered its primary function."

"Impossible we have Gae Bolg currently stored and protected here!" thundered the man angrily.

The woman nodded, "yes we have _our_ Gae Bolg stored here but this spear, _this_ Gae Bolg is not ours."

"What are you talking about woman? I don't have time for your word games!" growled the man.

She just sighed, "I don't quite understand it myself but the Gae Bolg that boy uses is not ours."

"So it is just a well-made fake then," stated the man as he started to calm down.

"No," replied the woman with a shake of her head once again drawing everyone's attention. "That spear the boy used was no fake Lugh. I don't know how but they are both real, they are both Gae Bolg and yet, they are both different, it is maddening."

"That is not possible there cannot be two Gae Bolg's in existence," frowned Lugh as he glared at the black clad woman.

The woman gave a smirk, "just as it's impossible for Gods to exist? Or for a spear to rewrite fate itself? Or for the Otherworld to be real? Lugh you should really know by now that nothing in this world is impossible."

The man just sighed before taking a swig of his ale as he began rubbing his head, "do you remember the time when the world made sense?" reminisced Lugh wistfully.

"No," deadpanned the woman.

"Neither do I, in fact something tells me I'm going to need more alcohol before this conversation is over," admitted Lugh with a sigh before ordering another round of drinks.

The woman refused when he offered her a drink and instead just sat down in the seat opposite Lugh as the rest of the drinkers slowly returned to their merry-making. "Be honest with me, are you absolutely sure that it wasn't a fake?" asked Lugh with an almost pleading gaze.

"I'm sure Lugh. I've been on the receiving end of that spear before, I know what it feels like and that lance the kid used gave off the exact same aura," she confirmed with a sigh of her own.

"Great what's next? Excalibur reappearing?" grumbled the man as he downed another drink.

"Lugh…there's something else," informed the woman.

"Of course there is, well spit it out then," sighed Lugh.

The woman seemed to hesitate which caused her companion to raise an eyebrow in confusion, after all the years he'd known her she'd never had any trouble speaking what's on her mind. The fact that she would struggle here immediately snapped him out of his drunken state as he stared at her, realizing that it had to be important.

"What's this the great Morrigan holding her tongue? Now I know the world is ending," he joked, snapping the woman from her trance.

"Oh well you're loud enough for the both of us anyway," replied the woman with a smile.

Lugh just gave a bellowing laugh before his expression turned serious, "well I can't argue with that. But seriously Morrigan what's wrong?"

She sighed tiredly and stared at him in the eyes, "when I first tracked down the boy he was having what sounded like a nightmare and do you know what he said during it?"

"Ferdiad and Connla," she announced, making Lugh drop his tankard in shock as ale spilled all over the table.

"I see," he muttered quietly as he looked down on the table.

"Not only that but once he woke up the boy was in a panic until for no reason at all he began to calm down and I could have sworn I felt _his_ presence, if only briefly. Later he sparred with a Devil Knight of the Gremory household and he was using _his_ fighting style," continued Morrigan in hushed whispers.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" asked Lugh.

Morrigan shook her head, "no I only told the others about the Gae Bolg incident, as far as they know there is somehow a second Gae Bolg in existence and it is being used by a skilled human nothing more."

"Good keep it that way," ordered Lugh, much to the shock of his companion. "I know what you're suggesting Morrigan but it's not possible, after all my son isn't dead yet."

A pained look crossed her face as she sighed, "Lugh he's been missing for years. I think it is time to accept the inevitable, Cú Chulainn is not coming back."

"And you're saying this boy is his reincarnation? You know I don't believe in that crap, just look at that so called Heracles. The real deal would have destroyed him easily," he scoffed and downed another tankard.

"What other explanation is there?! How else could he have obtained that spear, known that fighting style and more importantly known those names?!" she argued heatedly and stood up from her chair.

"Morrigan stop," ordered the man with a sad look on his face.

The woman looked into those eyes as she realized just how many painful memories she was forcing to the surface, "sorry," she apologized before returning to her seat.

Lugh just shook his head and returned to the matter at hand with a frown, "you do raise some good points though, we do need to find out how that boy got this knowledge," he commented as he frowned in concentration.

Suddenly an amused smile crossed his face as he stared at Morrigan, "what are you planning?" asked the black clad woman warily.

"Morrigan, my dear sweet Morrigan, I need you to do me a favour," praised Lugh with a grin.

"I refuse," replied Morrigan immediately as she got up from the table.

Her companion just frowned, "but you haven't even heard what it is yet!"

The woman just scoffed, "I don't care."

"Hmm…I see I thought you would have jumped at the chance to get closer to my son, oh well," sighed Lugh, only to grin widely as Morrigan sat back down on her seat with a faint blush on her face.

"Alright I'll bite, how does this favour of yours have anything to do with Cú Chulainn?" she questioned skeptically.

The jovial smile dropped from Lugh's face, "this boy clearly has some form of connection to my son and I want to know what it is."

"You want me to spy on him," stated Morrigan with a frown.

"Now, now, spying is such a harsh word. I prefer the term observing," smiled the man.

"Why ask me? There are plenty of others who can do the job better," reminded the scowling woman.

"True," he admitted with a nod. "But as much as it pains me to admit it, you're the only one I trust right now. The only one with enough motivation to actually try and help."

"The others might just kill him before he becomes a threat, I understand. Cú Chulainn wasn't the most popular among us," nodded Morrigan.

"My son did have a habit of making more enemies than he did friends," agreed Lugh with a sigh.

"I can watch over him, but what will you tell the others? They will get suspicious at my absence, not to mention that they might send over assassins themselves," asked Morrigan.

"You just leave the politics to me, trust me I can be very persuasive if I need to be," grinned the man happily.

Morrigan just shook her head in disbelief, "who would have thought the God of the Sun and the Goddess of Death and Destruction would actually work together?"

"Truly these are dark times," agreed Lugh in a somber tone that didn't match his smiling face.

The two members of the Celtic Mythos gave respective laughs before sealing the deal with a handshake and Morrigan got up from their table. The black clad Goddess frowned as walked out of the castle and transformed into a large black crow as it flew off into the distance. Then there was a flash of light that marked the Goddess's departure from the Otherworld and her return to the human world.

* * *

 **Well there we go how did you like that chapter? Know before you get angry at the result remember that when Issei Includes a card he doesn't get all of the Servant's stats, only a toned down versions of them. Plus remember that Kiba had been training under Souji Okita himself who was a master swordsman for years before he ever met Issei in the canon. Also while writing this fight scene did I only just appreciate how overpowered the Sacred Gear Sword Birth is, Kiba can literally make a demonic sword that can do anything!**

 **Also poor Lancer, everyone jokes about EMIYA having E-ranked luck but if you look at Cú Chulainn's legend and events in all the Holy Grail Wars, he really is the unluckiest bastard. Next the adding of the Celtic Mythos was a fun little twist I implemented because I don't remember them being added in canon, so I can have some fun with them. Morrigan will become important later on but for now, she will not play much of a role.**

 **Lastly I want you guys to decide whether or not I should kill Mittelt off, lots of DxD crossovers have Mittelt surviving so I feel that it is kind of cliché at this point. However I'll leave the decision up to you all, review or PM me what you'd like to see in the next chapter.**

 **Edit: If you want to see what Morrigan looks like then it just enlarge this story's cover art or look up DoomityDoom's Morigana.**


	3. Making It Rain

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait but I had exams on so I didn't have time to write however now I'm on holidays so updates should be a bit more frequent. Also reading through the reviews it amazes me how divided the readers are about Mittelt. Lastly Assassin has been decided and I changed the dialogue in chapter one to suite it so you can go back there if you want to try and guess it, a special thanks to TxT for providing me a list to choose from.**

 **Alright question time:**

 **Blarg7865: Yes Issei does have a mindscape, you saw a hint of it during the first chapter, and this mindscape might become more important later on. After all being bonded to seven other souls might cause his own to become distorted...**

 **cj1of4: About Installing…you were a lot closer than you think with your first review.**

 **DestinyFriend: A lot of people are asking about Zelretch and yes he will be a recurring character, that troll is just too fun to write.**

 **Fatelover: Okay then here's the hint; the Banquet of Kings. And you're right the Excalibur arc and the meeting of the three factions is going to be very fun to write.**

 **Stoiche: Ok so this has been asked multiple times, yes Gilgamesh will be in this story but not until MUCH later. And for those who are wondering he is NOT Issei's archer card and neither is EMIYA, I wanted to showcase other cool spirits in the Archer class.**

 **ThatGuy: Many people have mate and that question is going to be answered in this chapter.**

 **Cannibal . Pride: Oh boy lot of questions here;**

 **1\. Zelretch is coming back and as for fighting, I'm not sure I could write that since the damn troll is so overpowered and since I've never read or seen him fight so I wouldn't know what to use as a reference.**

 **2\. It will mostly follow canon until Issei has achieved Install state on all of the cards but I will add in OC arcs every now and then in between the canon arcs.**

 **3\. Right now Issei is still pretty weak seeing as he only just started using these abilities. If he fought Hades or Rizevim right now he would get wrecked, although he would stand a better chance against Rizevim since the Class Cards aren't Sacred Gears.**

 **[Ddraig talking aloud]**

[Ddraig talking in their mind]

* * *

Issei sighed as he rubbed his sore shoulders and tried to soothe his aching muscles, the teen couldn't remember the last time he had felt this exhausted. That spar with Kiba had gotten way more out of hand then he would have liked but at least he now had a baseline for what a Devil knight's speed was like. Assuming Kiba's speed was the average level displayed by most Devils then Issei could honestly say he was quite impressed with the peerage system.

Sure, they were nowhere near the levels of the Rider or Lancer class from the Holy Grail Wars, the fact that he could keep up with them in the Include state was proof of that, but unlike the Grail system it wasn't limited to a single individual. If every normal human that was reincarnated as a knight gained that level of speed then it was no wonder that Devils were so successful.

Frowning Issei looked down on his fist as he remembered the force from his punch that sent Kiba flying, which was definitely not his natural strength so why did it come from? While the Lancer card did increase his strength it mostly focused on speed and agility and certainly didn't increase his strength to that extent, so what was it?

" _Is something wrong?" asked Issei._

" _No it just isn't what I expected you to have; I can't detect any sign of a dragon residing in the spear, in fact I don't recognize this Sacred Gear at all," informed Rias with a frown._

" _Is that really such a big surprise? I'm sure you haven't memorized every single Sacred Gear in existence," replied the teen._

 _Rias nodded, "true but that spear doesn't feel like a Sacred Gear but something else entirely…"_

Issei frowned as he remembered the conversation with Rias that he'd had last night and started clenching and unclenching his fist. He had just assumed Raynare had mistaken the Class Cards for a Sacred Gear but Rias said that Gae Bolg didn't feel like one, maybe Raynare wasn't mistaken. Assuming that Rias was telling the truth then the Fallen Angel shouldn't have mistaken the Class Cards for a Sacred Gear, which left only one option. He had a Sacred Gear.

"That bastard Zelretch, I bet he knew all along and thought it would be funny to not tell me!" growled Issei as he began heading to the troll's 'home.'

He was going to make that old man help him activate his Sacred Gear and then he was going to enjoy testing it out on the damned troll. If anyone had been in the deserted street at that moment then they would have been slightly disturbed at the excited smile that crossed Issei's face as he brought out his phone.

"Hey dad? Yeah it's me, just letting you know that I'll be home late tonight. Yeah sorry about dinner, why don't you just order pizza? Cool thanks, remember to save me a slice," laughed Issei as he called his father.

With his phone call done then teen was about to head down the street towards Zelretch's 'house' when he heard a female voice and turned to see a blonde little girl running towards him with tears in her eyes. Looking behind the girl Issei's eyes widened as he saw a group of thugs chasing after her armed with bats, chains and other typical delinquent weapons.

Upon reaching Issei the girl hid behind him as the teen turned to face the horde of thugs that begin surrounding him, "you know this brat?" snarled one of them.

Before Issei could respond, his vision blurred and he felt a headache wrack his head as strange images began appearing in his mind.

* * *

 _The girl wearing a green dress smiled as she offered an apple to the malnourished child in front of her and her companion. Her ears catlike ears and tail twitching as she encouraged the child to take the food, "go on little one, take it."_

" _But I don't have anything to pay you with," replied the child, sadly._

 _The huntress just laughed, "Thou shalt not worry little one, it's free."_

 _The child just looked at the cautiously, causing the girl's companion to sigh tiredly, "Archer we don't have time for this, we need to leave before the enemy Servants find us."_

 _The green girl just glared at her companion, "hast thou no heart Rider? Tis but a child seeking sustenance."_

 _The man just gave another sigh, "I'm aware of that Archer but I'm just saying that our time could be spent more productively."_

 _Archer ignored her companion and instead turned back to the child as she knelt down and placed the apple on the ground before calmly stepping away from it. The child glanced between her and the apple before he slowly approached the food and grabbed it off the ground, making sure to keep them both in his gaze as the child slowly backed away._

 _Once far enough away the child took a bite of the apple and his eyes widened before he looked back at her with tears in his eyes, "thank you!"_

 _The girl waved as the child left, watching as the child smiled happily before running off down the deserted streets, "a child's life is a precious thing Rider. As heroes, is it not our duty to protect them?"_

" _Archer?" frowned her companion in concern as he gripped her arm._

 _The girl didn't respond as she just looked up at the sun setting in the sky, her mind drifting away as memories of abandonment, loneliness and isolation in the woods began returning to her. Eventually the girl snapped out of her thoughts as her companion continued giving her a worried expression._

" _Archer, are you sure you're alright?" he questioned with a frown in his face._

 _Atalanta just turned to her companion with a fierce expression, "no child shall be abandoned or be taken advantage of Rider…as I was."_

Blinking as the strange scene faded from his mind Issei frowned as he stood protectively in front of the girl. "And if I do?" replied Issei with an almost catlike growl.

"Then you'll suffer along with her," replied the same delinquent.

"Don't let them hurt me Onii-chan!" cried the girl fearfully.

"You punks really are something, picking on a child like that," growled Issei, whom was surprised as he felt a reaction from both the Lancer and, oddly enough, the Archer cards.

"She attacked us! Two of our friends are injured because of her! If you know what's good for you then you'll get out of our way," roared another thug.

That very statement was so absurd that it took a minute for Issei's brain to comprehend it, "you expect me to believe that a little girl attacked and injured two of you?" he scoffed.

"It's true! She just summoned a spear from nowhere with a flash of light then attacked us!" argued the first one.

"A spear?" repeated Issei before his eyes widened in recognition as he dived away from the girl and brought a hand to his cardholder, only to find it missing.

"Looking for this?" taunted the girl as she held his cardholder in one hand and a spear in the other with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Give those to me now," ordered the teen.

"Now why would I do that?" laughed the girl as she threw her spear at him, forcing Issei to dive to the ground as it went soaring over his head.

"Come on guys let's teach this brat a lesson," snarled the apparent leader of the thugs as the delinquents charged.

"No stop!" cried the teen, but he was too late as the humans surrounded the Fallen Angel, whom merely just scoffed before her wings emerged from behind her as she preceded to cut all their weapons clean in two.

"You humans have served your purpose now either leave or die, the only one who needs to die tonight is that boy," ordered the Fallen Angel.

"You think we'll run after you hurt our friends?!" shouted the leader in anger only to cry out in pain as a spear pierced his stomach.

"I suppose it was too much to hope for intelligence from a bunch of humans," sighed the girl, condescendingly.

"Boss!" cried the group as one of them rushed over to their downed leader, throughout it all Issei just grinded his teeth in frustration.

"Damn it," growled the teen as he tried to rush towards his cardholder, only to fail as he tiredly dodged another of the girl's spears. How was he supposed to fight exhausted and without using his Class cards?

 _"Most Sacred Gears are actually relatively easy to awaken if you're determined enough. It's all about your mental state, the best method is to picture the strongest thing you can imagine and usually they are awoken."_

As Rias' words echoed in his head, Issei frowned and once again glanced down at his fist, "Rias you better have been telling the truth, my life is going to depend on it."

"Hey can you guys keep this brat busy for a couple of seconds?" he yelled at the thugs.

"Why the hell should we listen to you?" argued the injured leader.

"Just do it!" snarled Issei, causing the leader to glare at him before nodding.

"Alright boys you heard him, keep her busy for Prince Charming over there," ordered the delinquent.

Hearing this Issei sighed in relief before ducking behind cover and closing his eyes as he tried to picture the strongest thing he could imagine. At first, he thought of Cu Chulainn as his brief glimpse into the hero's memories resurfaced before the image of the female huntress appeared followed by the images of the other Class Cards appearing one by one.

As the last card appeared Issei felt something rise up within him as his arm began glowing, a sudden boost of energy rushing through his body and rejuvenating the tired teen. Finally, behind the group of Class Cards, Issei saw the giant red dragon statue from his dreams fade into existence, its proud form radiating power just from its mere presence.

 **[BOOST!]**

Everyone stopped what they were doing as they heard the loud announcement and turned to see Issei emerge from his hiding spot with one of his arms covered in a red gauntlet and a green gem embedded in it. The Fallen Angel just froze as she saw the gauntlet, dropping the cardholder in the process as, for the first time; fear began to show on her face.

"All of you back off and get your friends to the hospital, I can deal with her," ordered Issei as he walked over to the group.

The delinquents all turned to look at their leader whom stared at Issei appraisingly before nodding, "give her hell for me."

The group then left with their leader being supported by two of his friends, leaving Issei alone with the female Fallen Angel. The girl seemed to snap out of her fear as she watched Issei approach with a smile on her face.

"I'll admit you had me worried there for a minute, but I know you don't have Boosted Gear. After all it's impossible to be born with two Sacred Gears and Boosted Gear never manifested with cards," she smirked, trying to rebuild her confidence.

Issei didn't respond as he continued approaching her with a cold expression on his face, causing the girl to back up as she summoned another spear. "What is your name Fallen?" asked the teen.

"Mittelt, what is it to you human?" replied Mittelt as she took to the safety of the skies before throwing her spear at him.

Issei didn't even try to dodge; instead, he simply caught the incoming projectile with his gauntlet hand, and smirked up at her as his gauntlet's gem began glowing again.

 **[BOOST!]**

"I think this belongs to you," he teased before throwing Mittelt's own spear back at her.

Mittelt's eyes widened in shock as she ducked under the fast moving spear, which buried itself into the ground before exploding into light, and watched fearfully as Issei grabbed his discarded cardholder. Attaching the holder back to his belt Issei punched his gauntlet-covered hand through the pavement below him, causing cracks to appear as he ripped out a large chunk of concrete and held it in one hand.

"Huh? So it looks like this increases my power, interesting. Hey Fallen CATCH!" called Issei as he hurled the large piece of concrete at her and nailed Mittelt in the stomach, causing her to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.

As soon as she hit the ground, Issei rushed towards her downed form with his fist raised for a knockout blow, only to see Mittelt roll to the side as his gauntlet embedded itself into the pavement. Unfortunately for the Fallen Angel she never had the chance to take advantage of this opening as Issei saw her approaching and sent a powerful kick into her stomach.

Once again crying out in pain Mittelt returned to the sky and summoned another spear as she watched Issei remove his hand from the pavement with a shower of concrete. The red gauntlet on his arm once again glowing as he grinned up at her.

 **[BOOST!]**

"That's not possible you can't have Boosted Gear! Twice Critical I could understand but that Longinus never showed anything to do with cards before!" exclaimed Mittelt.

Issei just grinned up at her, "what makes you think that the cards are a Sacred Gear?"

As he said this Mittelt froze and realized the fatal flaw with her entire plan, she had just assumed that he was a normal human apart from his Sacred Gear. She had assumed that those cards _were_ his Sacred Gear, she didn't even pause to consider if he could use other abilities. Which meant the time he had fought off Raynare and killed Dohnaseek, even when fighting that Devil knight, he was using his own power.

"Looks like you've figured it out, that's right this entire time I haven't been using my Sacred Gear," he grinned and grabbed the cardholder on his belt.

"That's not possible, no normal human no matter how skilled at magic they are could create those cards, they have to be Sacred Gears!" denied the Fallen Angel fearfully.

"Well I wouldn't exactly call their creator a normal human but I promise you these cards are no Sacred Gears. In fact why don't I show you one now, Archer seems like she wants to meet you, I think you made her mad with your little trick," replied Issei as he held up the glowing Archer card.

"Include Archer," called the teen as the card's glow blinded Mittelt, as her eyesight returned the Fallen Angel was greeted to the sight of Issei holding a jet black bow that was larger than he was tall in his non gauntlet hand.

Even though Mittelt couldn't feel any magical energy being emitted by this bow, she instinctively knew that this weapon was dangerous. Issei smiled as he nocked an arrow and began drawing the bowstring back, only to let go as it was half drawn. However much to Mittelt's horror instead of simply falling short and hitting the ground, the arrow flew past her ear as it continued sailing into the nearby building and didn't stop, carving a massive hole through the entire structure before finally coming to a halt.

The Fallen Angel just looked at the carnage in shock as one fact became abundantly clear, there was no magic energy in that attack, it was caused by the pure physical power of the bow itself. The sound of the human talking snapped her out of her fear induced trance as she turned back to face him fearfully.

"Well Tauropolos certainly lives up to its reputation doesn't it?" he smirked, before shooting another arrow at her.

Mittelt only just managed to dodge the speeding projectile but even so, it still clipped her spear as it passed, completely shattering her light spear and nearly breaking her arm in the process. "Hah Archer?! Don't make laugh, call yourself that once you actually hit your target," she taunted, trying to hide the pain coming from her arm.

"Who said I was aiming for you?" replied Issei, his smirk still in place as Mittelt heard a creaking noise from behind her.

Frowning the Fallen Angel quickly spun around and saw the dilapidated building behind her missing its entire middle section, the top half of it creaking as it began to lean towards her. Finally, without the support of the middle section, gravity started to take its toll and the top half came crashing down towards her like a landslide.

Unable to get away from the tumbling wreckage in time Mittelt instead flew towards it as she aimed for the holes in the walls, using them as a passage as she flew through the wreckage. As she finally escaped the collapsed building and made it safely to the other side, Mittelt gave a soft sigh of relief only to cough as the dust from the collapsed building filled the air.

"So you survived, I'll admit you're more resourceful then I gave you credit for," complimented Issei from behind her as the dust surrounding them began to clear.

Turning around the Fallen Angel saw Issei once again nocking two arrows with what seemed like a piece of paper attached to each of them, then the arrows began glowing, "with my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for the divine protection of the sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis."

Mittelt suddenly felt an enormous amount of power gathering around the bow as Issei pointed it towards the sky, "I offer thee this calamity, **Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow!** "

The two glowing arrows just shot into the night sky with twin glittering trails following close behind as they pierced the clouds. Then there was silence as Mittelt felt the power surrounding the bow dissipate and gave a relieved laugh.

"You idiot! You had a perfect shot and you missed! Archer? Ridiculous, you couldn't even hit the right side of a barn!" insulted the Fallen Angel as she readied another light spear.

Issei just smiled up at her as he pointed towards the sky, "hey Fallen Angel, if I were you I'd be taking cover right now."

Mittelt just laughed again and was about to throw her spear when she heard it, a noise rapidly getting louder and reminding her of the sound of falling rain. Frowning she looked up and immediately saw the night sky begin to light up faintly, then she spotted them.

Mittelt went pale as the sky above her was filled with multiple arrows made of light that were heading straight for her, preparing to rain down on the Fallen Angel with a vengeance. Pushing her wings as fast as they could take her, Mittelt tried to get out of the blast radius but the spread was simply too wide and she cried out as an arrow struck her in the shoulder and sent the Fallen Angel crashing to the ground.

Realizing how dangerously open the position that she landed in was, Mittelt darted for the nearest building as the light arrow's rainstorm continued. The Fallen Angel just took cover under a large table as she saw the tips of the light arrows poking through the rooftop or even blasting straight thought them and hitting the floor around her.

Eventually upon hearing the downpour of arrows stop, Mittelt struggled to her feet and walked outside warily. Only to gasp as she saw the area around her littered with the glowing projectiles. "Impressive isn't it?" asked the teen as he watched her.

Spinning around to face him Mittelt swallowed as she saw another arrow already nocked and ready to be drawn, "I'm just glad I didn't make it a single arrow instead of a rain, after all it's hard to question a corpse," he commented as the arrows surrounding the pair vanished.

Realizing that she had better maneuverability in the air even with her damaged shoulder Mittelt once again ascended to the skies, ready to dive for cover should he use Phoebus Catastrophe again. However, Issei didn't seem to mind as he stared at his bow and gauntlet with a frown.

As Issei was examining his new bow, the frown on his face rapidly turned to a grin, "interesting so I'm currently only strong enough to draw Tauropolos halfway, Heroic Spirits really are strong compared to normal humans aren't they? But…"

 **[BOOST!]**

"Thankfully I can cheat," he smirked as his red gauntlet began glowing again and he started to draw the bowstring back once more.

This time the human managed to draw it back further and after seeing the carnage that the bow caused at only half strength Mittelt immediately descended to the ground before desperately rushing towards her target, hoping that he wouldn't shoot at this close range. These hopes were dashed as he fired the bow at the ground beneath her feet, the tiles and pavement exploding upwards and sending Mittelt soaring into a nearby fence, leaving a large dent as she collapsed to the ground.

Groaning the Fallen Angel struggled to her feet just in time to see a red gauntlet smash into her face and send her once again crashing into the fence, this time sending Mittelt through the dented metal. Stepping through the newly made hole in the fence Issei grinned as he gripped the glowing Lancer card in his gauntlet.

"Include Lancer," he called and the card in his gauntlet transformed into the blood red lance that Mittelt saw him using earlier.

Mittelt just watched as the teen as he approached with the bow in one hand and the red lance in his gauntlet covered other. As Issei walked over to her, the Fallen Angel could have sworn she saw two ghostly figures behind him and glaring at her. The first was blue clad man that had narrowed beast like slits for pupils that were almost daring her to try something just so he could rip her to shreds. The second was a beautiful green clad woman that seemed to have catlike ears and tail, and yet despite these endearing features the hate in her eyes made Mittelt feel like she was staring into the face of death itself.

"Now Mittelt I'm going ask you a few questions and you're going to tell me the truth, understand?" stated Issei with a frown.

Mittelt hesitated slightly which caused the hostility from the two ghostly figures to increase tenfold as the Fallen Angel shuddered in fear from their glares, "yes of course just don't kill me, please" she begged while nodding her head furiously.

"Good, now why did you attack me? I thought after I dealt with your two friends that you Fallen would have learnt your lesson," he interrogated.

"I saw your fight with that Devil and…" Mittelt trailed off as she began eyeing the ground.

"You thought you'd take advantage of my tired state," finished the teen, making her flinch.

"Not a bad strategy, especially since you actually stole my Class Cards while I was distracted. You've definitely got more brains than your two friends," he nodded with an almost approving tone.

Mittelt just looked up in confusion at this unexpected reply only to flinch as Issei placed Gae Bolg above her heart, the girl shivering as she felt the bloodlust barely being restrained by the spear. "Now for my next question, did you really hurt those two humans?" he asked in a dangerously calm voice.

The Fallen swallowed and slowly nodded her head, the thought of lying never even occurring to her, which oddly enough was the only reason she was still breathing. "Mittelt this is one of those times you need to think very carefully about how you answer this next question," warned Issei quietly.

"Why did you hurt them?" asked the teen in a tone devoid of emotion.

She wanted to lie, she wanted to give him some sad sob story, anything to justify her actions and yet when she looked into the eyes of her judge, she found that she couldn't. Looking back at her actions she wondered, why did she hurt them? If she wanted to get those thugs to follow her, there were plenty of better ways to go about it, so why did she do it?

Eventually Mittelt just sighed as she turned to look up at Issei who was waiting with raised eyebrows, "I don't know."

The teen blinked a couple of times before he glared at her again, "then why did you want to kill me?"

"Didn't Raynare tell you? We were ordered to kill you because of your Sacred Gear," she explained with a confused frown.

"So you're only following orders? Is that it? Don't give me that! Everyone has a choice; you could have chosen not to obey your superiors but instead you didn't even question them," he growled, angrily.

Mittelt just gave a hollow laugh, "you obviously don't know much about Fallen Angels then do you?"

"Oh? Enlighten me then," frowned Issei, Gae Bolg still hovering over the Fallen's heart.

The girl just glared up at him in defiance, "you think we have a choice? You think we can disobey our orders and abandon the Grigori? Tell me Issei Hyoudou, how are we supposed to do that when everywhere else we go we're hated and hunted?"

Mittelt then stood up, uncaring about the spear now drawing blood from her chest, "no matter who we are or what we are doing, we are always hunted. Devils, Angels, Yokai, even Humans! Whenever they hear there is a Fallen in town it becomes open season for them!"

"To them it's always the same, you are a Fallen therefore you must be evil! Even damn Devils are treated better than we are. Devils! The original creatures of Sin!" she shouted as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Issei just watched, stunned as she wiped the tears from her eyes and glared at him, "the Grigori is the only place we can be free, where we can be safe. We can't survive anywhere else, so don't give me that crap about having a choice! A human like you could never understand what it is like!"

"How could you know what it feels like to see those you care about hunted down for simply being seen with you, because of some fanatic whipping a crowd into a frenzy?! How could you know what it feels like to see the people you consider family butchered before your very eyes?!" she growled and the teen's eyes just widened.

* * *

" _Let him go! He's just a child!" cried his mother to the black clad balaclava man as she grabbed and tried to grab her son from him._

 _The man just growled in frustration as he let go of Issei, pulled something from his holster, and pointed it at him. Seeing this his mother placed herself between the two of them and screamed at him to run before a loud bang went off and she fell to the floor._

 _Suddenly everyone heard the familiar sirens of the police getting closer and the balaclava man and his henchmen began to grow nervous. "Boss we need to go before the cops show up!" exclaimed one of them, causing the man to nod before the bolted towards the exit._

" _Mom! It's my fault, I'm so sorry," cried the ten-year-old Issei as he rushed over to his mother's side and gripped her hand with his own._

" _Don't worry Issei it's not your fault," smiled his mother before her hand slipped from his grip and collapsed to the ground._

" _Mom…" whispered the child as he just stared at his motionless mother._

Shaking the memories from his head the teen frowned as he forced the painful memory back and stared at Mittelt with a frown. There was silence as the two began a staring contest, Mittelt could still feel the eyes of the two ghostly figures burning a hole in her head but even so, she kept her gaze focused solely on Issei. Eventually the human just sighed as he lowered his spear and looked at her, not with pity, not with sympathy, but with understanding.

"I know that feeling better than most Mittelt, but even so I still try to move past it. Can you say the same? Do you think your loved ones would want you to become a mindless killer, obeying whatever order others give you without question?" replied Issei.

The Fallen Angel just reared her head as if she'd been slapped before looking down to the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. Eventually Issei sighed and dismissed Gae Bolg and Tauropolos, which then returned to their card forms respectively, and walked away.

As he was about to leave Issei stopped and turned to give Mittelt one last look, "we all have choices Mittelt, whether we know it or not and I've just made mine. I'm giving you a second chance, don't waste it."

With his piece said Issei walked off and Mittelt watched as the two ghostly figures gave her another suspicious glare before they dissipated. All alone the Fallen Angel flew back to the church, the human's words still reverberating in her mind.

"Mittelt where have you been?! Dear God what happened to you?!" exclaimed Raynare as the Fallen 'leader' spotted her.

The girl briefly thought about telling Raynare about her fight and what she had found out, certainly it would help them take down the human if they were aware of his real Sacred Gear. Yet for some reason Mittelt hesitated as his words continued echoing in her head.

"…elt? Mittelt you useless child, snap out of it!" yelled Raynare, slapping Mittelt from her thoughts.

Shaking her head she looked up at Raynare and just snarled, "Nothing happened I crashed while flying that's all."

"You really are useless sometimes Mittelt," sighed Raynare with a shake of her head.

Mittelt just growled before heading up to her room and getting changed into clean clothes as she began packing her bags with whatever she could afford to take with her. Once she had finished packing Mittelt grabbed her bags and opened the window, giving one last look at her room the Fallen Angel sighed as she flew out into the night. Leaving the abandoned church and all its residents far behind her.

We all have a choice; whether we know it or not, sometimes it just requires a little push to help us realize it.

* * *

Morrigan sighed in relief, if what that boy had said was true then it was a good thing that she'd had the foresight to put a Boundary Field around the area to mask the magical energies being released before the Fallen Angel attacked. If Apollo or Artemis had detected one of the weapons of their lost champions, being used by someone without their permission then there would be blood spilled, most likely the boy's. The Greeks were very protective of their relics after all and Morrigan was in no mood to try and protect the boy from them.

After all the Celtic Pantheon couldn't really afford to make enemies of the Greeks due to their smaller size and lack of allies. 'Although to be fair it's our own fault for being so reclusive and isolationist,' thought Morrigan with a shake of her head. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, why get involved with the affairs of others when there was no need for it? But now it was beginning to be a problem.

Somehow she and Lugh were going to have to keep the boy hidden from their fellow Celtic deities, and now also the Greek Pantheon and the Biblical factions, as well as keeping herself hidden from the Shinto Pantheon in their own territory. It was taking all of Morrigan's will power not to simply tear her own hair out in frustration, she wasn't Loki damn it! She was a Goddess of Death and Destruction, subtly was not her strong suite! It didn't help that her partner in crime was about as subtle as a lumbering elephant in the middle of a jungle, honestly why did she agree to this again?

'Right Cu Chulainn, damn that Lugh, taking advantage of my weakness like that,' thought Morrigan with a sigh that turned to a frown as she pondered what the Goddess had just seen. As a Goddess of Death, Morrigan had a unique affinity for souls, often ferrying the souls of Celtic warriors into the afterlife.

It was how she was able to detect Cu Chulainn's presence near the boy yesterday, and after her conversation with Lugh, she had stuck close to the boy in case the event repeated itself. So imagine her surprise when she felt a presence near the boy that was completely unfamiliar to her, it had the same weak static quality that Cu Chulainn's had but it was definitely not his presence.

Judging from the weapon that he had summoned Morrigan was certain that she knew who the identity of that new presence surrounding him was but again that begged the question. How did this boy know her? What was his connection with her? And was that even the right Tauropolos that he summoned? Or was it similar to the problem with the two Gae Bolg's?

It could have ended there and given Morrigan only a mild headache but no, to make matters worse the boy even had the Longinus Boosted Gear stored inside him. 'Well if nothing else the boy has definitely inherited Cu Chulainn's luck,' sighed the Goddess as she began massaging her temples.

"Still Boosted Gear combined with Gae Bolg and Tauropolos, now that's a potent combo. He might just be able to kill a God with that. And that's not even including those other cards he has left to reveal," she mused with a frown.

She'd had her suspicions before but this had proved that those cards definitely weren't his Sacred Gear and that they had something to do with the boy's connection to Cu Chulainn. However if they weren't Sacred Gears then what were they and who made them?

The boy clearly didn't and it certainly wasn't a God, no God would want to risk another war by creating them. Azazel maybe? He did have a disturbing fascination with Sacred Gears; maybe he wanted to create his own using souls of the departed? As horrible as it sounded it was possible but from what she knew, the Governor of the Grigori wasn't nearly powerful enough to create artifacts of this level of power.

In fact, the boy himself seemed to be if not on friendly terms with the card's creator then at least know of him, which seemed to indicate that he was definitely living here. This meant she could cross off most deities and faction leaders as the Shinto Pantheon wouldn't let them set up shop in their territory.

It was clear that Lugh may have had a point, Morrigan had been a bit hasty in thinking he was the reincarnation of Cu Chulainn. After all Cu Chulainn never wielded Tauropolos that much is certain and she didn't even feel his presence until the boy summoned Gae Bolg. But then how did he know those names? Why did she feel Cu Chulainn's presence near the boy at all?

Maybe it was his bloodline? Maybe he was a descendant of multiple heroes and the cards merely bring out the abilities of his ancestors? The odds were low, astronomically so, but still it was a possibility; Morrigan would have to send word back to Lugh to check if Cu Chulainn had any hidden descendants.

Still all this revolved back to those damned cards, the boy was the key to finding the creator of those cards, which meant she needed him, alive. This presented a problem, if the boy continued using those cards then she might not be able to mask his abilities from others. She would have to stay close to him and that meant stepping out of the shadows, she could already picture Lugh's smiling face as she prepared to tell him of her plan.

They would need help though if it was going to work, neither Lugh nor Morrigan herself were skilled enough at magic to hide the Goddess from the devils and Shinto faction at that close quarters. However, there was no way they could ask any of their other more magically inclined deities for help without rousing suspicion. That left only one option, they would have to ask _her_ for help. A twinge of jealousy appeared in her mind before she suppressed it; after all, if they wanted to remain undetected then they would need that damned sorceress' help. Still Morrigan shuddered to think how _she_ would react to the news about Cu Chulainn, hopefully for the boy's sake she wouldn't take it too badly.

However, it was necessary if she wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery boy and Cu Chulainn. Morrigan was certain that the cards were the key to this mystery; she needed to find out how they were created and what their connection to Cu Chulainn was. If she discovered that it really was _his_ soul being unwillingly used for a pseudo-Sacred Gear, then she would personally hunt down this mystery creator. Then she would show them just what happens when you anger a Goddess of Death, after Lugh had had his fun of course, that man's wrath could rival a Devil's when needed.

"Great, time to make the preparations," sighed Morrigan as she returned to the Otherworld, to organized a meeting with Lugh and contact a certain sorceress.

* * *

Issei yawned as he awoke from the best sleep he had had in a long time before panicking as he checked the time, only to breathe in relief as he saw that he hadn't slept in. Honestly if he was nearly late again then the Student Council would have his head, and he was in no mood for an eternity of detention.

Stretching the teen climbed out of his bed and glanced once again at the Class Cards spread out on his table, along with that weird flyer from the cosplayer, before placing them in their holder, the Lancer and Archer cards glowing slightly at his touch. Thinking back to the Archer card Issei frowned as he made a mental note to research the legend of Atalanta later, who knows it might help him forge a better connection with the card.

 **[You're up? About damn time to, I was getting bored waiting for you.]**

Upon hearing the male voice Issei instantly grasped the Lancer card from its holder and summoned Gae Bolg, getting into a stance as he searched his room for the intruder. "Come out intruder!" he ordered.

 **[Relax partner I'm not here to hurt you, in fact I want the exact opposite.]**

"Oh really?" scoffed Issei. "Then why don't you come out of hiding and show yourself then?"

 **[I'm not hiding partner, just look at your damned fist. It really shouldn't be that difficult to figure out.]**

Frowning Issei did as the voice said and was surprised to see the Boosted Gear suddenly appear on his arm unannounced. Then the voice started talking again and Issei just watched as the gem lite up with every word, his brain refusing to comprehend what its senses were telling it.

 **[See partner not that hard to understand is it? I am the Red Dragon Emperor or Welsh Dragon, but my hosts refer to me as Ddraig.]**

"Nope," replied Issei as he dismissed Gae Bolg and placed the card back into its holder. "My hand isn't talking to me, I'm not hearing voices and I'm going to get a cat scan on the weekend."

 **[I don't know whether to be insulted or amused by this. Still at least my current host is an interesting one and for once, I have company to watch with me.]**

Issei just ignored the mumblings of the 'imaginary' dragon and continued getting changed into his Kuoh academy uniform before heading down to make breakfast. His dad arrived shortly after as the smell of the meal began wafting throughout the house, making both the house's inhabitant's stomach rumble loudly before they devoured their breakfast.

[Oi partner I know you're not listening to me but I thought I'd let you know that you're late for class again.]

Issei just froze mid bite before he slowly looked at the kitchen clock and spotted the time, 'that's not possible the clock in my room said I had heaps of time left!'

"Oh Issei I forgot to tell you that I messed up your clock," stated his father, obliviously.

"You what?!" cried Issei in horror.

"Well I was trying to set an alarm on it so you wouldn't keep being late to class," he replied.

[Partner, your luck truly is incredible.]

Issei just growled at his new partner before leaping up from the table and grabbing his bag, wasting no time as the teen bolted out of the door and rushed towards school. In his rush to beat the clock Issei failed to notice his body performing feats of parkour that it certainly wasn't capable of doing before, nor did he notice the Archer card glowing slightly from within its holder.

However even with this newfound skill the teen cried as he saw Kuoh Academy's gates closing in the distance as the last bell rung. Trapped outside the teen sighed in defeat before something caught his eye, looking at the side of the school wall he saw a large tree branching over the barrier and smiled.

"Maybe Kaichou won't put me in detention after all," he grinned as he climbed up the tree before swinging himself over the wall and gave a cheer as he landed safely on his feet.

"Impressive work Hyoudou-san but in the future you might want to check your surroundings next time before you celebrate," commented a female voice, which caused Issei to freeze as he slowly turned around.

Souna Shitori just glared at him with cold eyes as she marked his name off the list, "late for nearly three consecutive weeks. This must be a new record."

"Kaichou there's a perfectly good explanation for this," replied Issei.

Souna nodded, "I'm sure there is and you can me all about it in detention."

"You mean you're holding the session personally?" he questioned, fearfully.

The teen's face just paled as he remembered the last detention he'd had with the Student Council President and he immediately feel to his knees, "Kaichou isn't there something else, anything but that?"

"My decision is final Hyoudou-san, I'll be seeing you in detention," she replied, stiffly and caused Issei to slump to the ground as his last hope disappeared.

[Oi partner, if you want out of this then just do exactly as I say.]

Blinking as his new 'imaginary' friend explained to him what to do Issei nodded and just did as he was told; after all, it couldn't get any worse than it already was. "Kaichou what if we made a bet?" he offered.

"A bet?" repeated Souna with raised eyebrows.

Issei nodded, "if I win you let me off the hook this time."

"And if I win?" she replied, obviously curious as to what he had in mind.

"I know you've been looking for people to help with the parent's day coming up, if you win I'll help set up the decorations and act as staff during the event," he answered, causing Souna's eyes to gain a worrying gleam.

"Very well but under one condition," proposed the Student Council President.

"What's that?" replied Issei, eager to escape his detention.

Souna just gave a small smirk, "I get to decide the game."

[Be careful partner she'll have the ad-]

"Sure so what are we playing?" agreed Issei, ignoring Ddraig whom sighed in disappointment.

The president's smile grew tenfold, "tell me Hyoudou-san, how good are you at chess?"

* * *

"I wonder what he did this time?" whispered a student.

"Lucky bastard getting punished _personally_ by Kaichou herself," growled another.

"Yeah going into her office for their own _punishment_ time, who knew those two were into that kind of thing?" replied a third student.

Issei just sighed as he heard the whispers from multiple other students follow the two of them as he and Souna headed to her office. Although he had to admit, if Souna heard or was affected by these rumors then she had a great poker face, in fact he was grateful that she didn't want to play cards instead.

[Partner, do you even know how to play chess?]

'I know how the pieces move, that's all you need to know right?' questioned Issei as the two them sat around Souna's table.

The rest of the student council just sat and watched with knowing smiles on their faces as Souna brought out an expensive looking ivory and ebony chess set. Souna quickly set up both ends of the chessboard before looking up at him with a superior smile.

"So Hyoudou-san which colour would you like to play?" she asked, smugly.

"Err…what's the difference?" he replied in response.

"You don't even know that? Oh boy this is going to be a quick game," laughed the only other male in the room.

"Saji you didn't even know what each piece was at the start," retorted Souna before turning back to Issei. "White always moves first while black always goes last."

'I have no idea what I'm doing so I guess I'll go black, see if I can copy her moves,' he thought and selected the black side.

[Partner, you are going to be destroyed.]

'Wow thanks for the encouragement,' he grumbled in his head while trying to ignore the voice of his partner laughing at him. Ddraig was right though, he lasted a grand total of three moves before being checkmated.

"If you'd like Hyoudou-san we can make it the best of three?" offered the smug president.

'It doesn't matter if its best of a hundred, even I can tell the result will be the same,' thought the teen with a sigh as he prepared to leave.

[Hold on partner, agree to her deal. No one mocks my wielder and gets away with it like this.]

'But there's no way I can beat her,' he thought back at Ddraig.

[Not by yourself but with help you can. Just do what I say and we'll knock those smug looks off their faces.]

Nodding Issei grinned at Souna, "alright then best of three it is," he announced, much to the shock of everyone in the room.

Frowning at his stubbornness Souna just shook her head and reset the board, following Ddraig instructions Issei again chose black. However, the end result was completely different this time around, as Souna completely underestimated him, based off the previous game. Issei didn't know if Ddraig was real or not but the moment he saw the shocked expression on everyone in the room, the teen decided he didn't care, Ddraig was now officially his best friend.

"So all tied up huh Kaichou?" he grinned, smugly while Souna just fixed her glasses and glared at him.

"It would appear so Hyoudou-san," she replied and reset the board while the rest of the Student Council silently watched on.

[Oi partner, how badly do you want me to beat her?]

'Ddraig, crush her,' he thought, giddily.

[You sure about that partner? She seems pretty prideful; I doubt she'll take the loss well.]

'Ddraig, there are some moments where you have to throw caution to the wind to enjoy life. I'll gladly take whatever punishment the universe can throw at me to see the Ice Queen, Souna Shitori taken down a notch,' replied Issei.

[All right partner, but don't say I didn't warn you.]

Everyone crowded around the table as Issei and Souna began their final round, expecting to see the human be destroyed easily now that Kaichou was serious. They couldn't have been more further from the truth. Souna was good but Ddraig was better and outmaneuvered the devil with every move until sure enough Souna found herself in checkmate.

The entire Student Council was silent as they just stared at the board in shock; meanwhile Issei just hummed a merry tune as he got up from the table and headed for the door. "I'll see you later Kaichou, remember our deal," said Issei as he struggled to keep a smirk from growing across his face and closed the door behind him.

Once the door was shut, Issei burst into laughter as he headed to his classroom, drawing confused looks from his fellow students who gave him a wide berth. 'Ddraig that was perfect did you see their faces!' he thought, happily.

[Indeed it was quite amusing but I'm more impressed with you partner.]

A frown crossed his face as he rounded another corner, 'me? What do you mean Ddraig you did all the work.' There was the sound of rumbling laughter echoing throughout his head before Issei heard the dragon's reply.

[Not many people would antagonize and step on a Devil's pride like that, and especially not in front of her peerage, let alone an heiress of one of the 72 Pillar Clans. You're definitely going to be an interesting host that's for sure.]

Issei just froze mid step as the blood drained away from his face, making other students once again give him strange looks. 'Umm…Ddraig are you saying that everyone in that room was a Devil?' he asked.

[That's right everyone there was a Devil most likely related the Sitri clan judging from the heiress' demonic energy.]

'Sitri clan?' questioned Issei as he began breathing again and continued onwards to his classroom as Ddraig explained.

[The Sitri clan is one of the 72 Pillars that rule the Underworld; in fact, last I checked a member of their family recently became one of their leaders, same with the Gremory girl.]

Issei just groaned as he began banging his head against the wall, ignoring the looks other students were sending him in the process. Eventually he stopped and just sighed as he made his way back to class, while Ddraig tried to keep the amusement out of his voice.

[…You didn't know did you?]

'Shut up,' he hissed at the dragon in his head, only to flinch as Ddraig once again burst out into loud laughter.

[Partner, you really do have the most incredible luck. Still look on the bright side, maybe they won't be mad about it?]

'You think?' replied Issei hopefully.

[No.]

'You know I think I liked you better when you were supposed to be a figment of my imagination,' grumbled the teen as he opened the door to the classroom and took his seat.

* * *

The Student Council flinched as their Devil hearing picked up Issei's laughter travelling down the narrow hallways outside. None of her peerage dared to say a word as they saw their leader just stare at the chessboard in silence, Sona then stood up without a word and headed to the room's private bathroom before shutting the door.

The rest of the Devils just looked at each other in confusion before they all heard a loud cry of rage and frustration echo from within the bathroom. Suddenly the door to the bathroom slammed open and Sona walked out, looking completely normal with her calm poker face that was completely contrasting the hostility she was emitting.

She then calmly began packing up the chess set while the rest of her peerage just glanced at each other again, each wondering who would go first. Eventually Saji sighed as he approached, "umm…Kaichou are you okay?"

"I'm fine Saji," replied Sona coldly.

"You sure? I could go and bring Hyoudou-san back if you like," offered Saji, only to back away as the chess piece in Sona's hand snapped at the mention of the name.

"That will not be necessary Saji, now I believe you all have work to do don't you?" she ordered before turning to the rest of her peerage.

All of them except Tsubaki nodded and quickly left the room while her Queen grabbed a report from her desk and approached, "we recently got a message from Rias."

Sona raised her eyebrows, "more of that record searching? If I find out Rias is just making us look through the Sacred Gear records as a joke I will not be pleased."

Tsubaki just shook her head, "no apparently she wants to introduce us to someone after school is done."

The Sitri heiress just frowned, "so Rias has a new piece to use against Riser does she? That's good but I wasn't aware that there was anyone of potential left in the school, let alone that Rias had her eyes on them. So what piece are they?"

Tsubaki shook her head again, "she didn't recruit them for her peerage, but they are aware of the supernatural and apparently have already fought off a group of Fallen Angels and matched her knight in a sparring duel."

"A human that can match Kiba?! I didn't think such a thing was possible! Still why hasn't Rias recruited them yet? Maou knows she could use the firepower against Riser," questioned Sona as her frown deepened.

"Maybe they are just hesitant to give up their humanity? Remember how cautious the others were when you offered them a place in your peerage," reasoned the Queen.

"That's true, so who is this mystery person Rias has her eyes on?" asked Sona with a curious look on her face.

Tsubaki just shrugged, "she didn't say, apparently she wants it to be a surprise for both us and this mystery person."

"Why does that not surprise me?" sighed Sona with a shake of her head.

Finally finishing packing up the chess set, the Sitri heiress growled as she forced the memories of her embarrassment by Issei Hyoudou to the back of her mind. 'He may have outsmarted me once but next time I see that human I'll make him pay,' she thought eagerly as a scary smile spread across her face.

Tsubaki just watched as her cool, calm and collected president was replaced by the smiling individual before her. For a brief moment, the image of Sona was replaced by that of her older sister Serafall, as the Sitri heiress chuckled darkly.

The moment passed quickly however and Tsubaki blinked as the Sona returned to normal, it was only a brief moment and yet for the Queen it was quite a terrifying one. To see Sona emulating Serafall in any way was a terrifying thing to behold, if her King started wearing Magical Girl costumes after this then she would immediately call for help.

Still for a second Tsubaki almost felt sorry for Issei Hyoudou but then she remembered how he had embarrassed Sona and any sympathy she felt died inside her. Besides all she had to do was keep Sona away from Issei Hyoudou for a day or to until she calmed down. How hard could that be?

The Queen's thoughts were interrupted as Sona gave another dark chuckle, 'scratch that a week, definitely a week,' she decided worriedly. Eventually the heiress calmed down again before walking over to her desk and grabbing a file of paper work that Tsubaki didn't recognize.

"What's that Kaichou?" asked the Queen, curiously.

"Transfer papers," replied Sona as she began to look them over.

"Transfer papers?" repeated Tsubaki in confusion, causing Sona to nod her head.

"Apparently we're getting two overseas transfer students today, they're going to be arriving shortly," informed the president with a frown.

"That's odd isn't it? I could understand a transfer from another of the nearby schools but to have one come from abroad…where are they from?" replied the Queen.

Sona flipped through a few pages before she nodded, "it says they are from Ireland and left in order to 'study other cultures.'"

"Ireland? Have you checked their background? We don't want a member of the Church living right beneath our noses," pointed out Tsubaki.

The Sitri heiress nodded with a frown, "everything checked out and our sources seem to indicate that they aren't a part of the three factions."

"I see, so which class are they being transferred to?" asked Tsubaki.

Sona again flipped through the pages before pulling one out and her evil smirk returned, "it says they're being transferred to class 2-B, isn't that convenient? I know a certain person who would love to volunteer to show them around."

The Queen just sighed and again felt a small bit of pity for Issei, "so what's their name?" she asked, trying to bring her King back to the topic at hand.

"It says one is called is Morigana while the other…that's odd," trailed off Sona.

"What is it?" asked Tsubaki.

The Sitri heiress just looked up at her with a frown, "their parents must know Celtic history quite well."

The Queen just blinked in confusion, "what makes you say that?"

"The other student is called Scáthach," announced Sona.

* * *

 **I wonder, who are these mysterious transfer students? Hmm…the names don't sound familiar at all, who could they be…**

 **So how did you guys like that? Boosted Gear activates and we see our second Class Card, I'm still surprised that Archer was harder to get then Caster. I guess Fate/Extra is more popular Fate/Apocrypha, who knew? That being said I might need to reread Fate/Apocrypha since I'm not sure if I got Atalanta right, tell me what you thought about her ok?**

 **Did Issei just use Boosted Gear as well as an Include? Yes. Did he just Include two cards at once? Yes he did, why? Keep in mind that in the canon Issei does multiple things that are considered impossible, such as absorbing Albion's power. This is just my take on that.**

 **List of known Heroic Spirits:**

 **Saber: ?**

 **Lancer: Cu Chulainn**

 **Archer: Atalanta**

 **Caster: ?**

 **Rider: ?**

 **Berserker: ?**

 **Assassin: ?**

 **Next, I know that people CAN have two Sacred Gears like Kiba with Sword Birth and Black Blacksmith but remember he got that from absorbing the souls of his friends. As far as Mittelt knows, it SHOULD be impossible and that's why she said that.**

 **Lastly about Mittelt, I want to thank Rocking Red Reaper, duskrider, ChaosRune,** **Umbralight365378, Akuma-Heika, cj1of4, The trolling SnarkLord (awesome name btw) and blarg7865 for their reviews and suggestions, they really helped.**

 **The result of the vote was:**

 **13 for keeping Mittelt alive.**

 **10 for killing her off.**

 **3 that were happy either way.**

 **Someone asked me to do a stat sheet for Issei in the Include states, basically take the original Servant's ranks and lower them by one and you have their Include states (excluding using Boosted Gear to raise them). Before people ask, yes I am aware that E should be the lowest rank but in order to keep with the rule of having every stat in the Include state two ranks below the original I had to make an F rank.**

 **Lancer Include state:**

 **STR: C**

 **CON: D**

 **AGI: B**

 **MGI: D**

 **LCK: F (because apparently it was on E anyway, damn Lancer is unlucky).**

 **Magic Resistance: D**

 **Battle Continuation: B**

The tenacity, determination and unyielding fighting spirit of Cu Chulainn made manifest, this ability let the Demigod fight ferociously even in a hopeless battle. This ability is passed on to Issei however unlike Cu Chulainn; the human can still suffer from exhaustion in battles.

 **Disengage: D**

Being able to withdraw from battle in the midst of combat. This ability is usually used when scouting missions go wrong and a retreat is needed. However due to Issei's lower rank, he can be stopped or hindered if the opponent is fast enough.

 **Runes: C**

Cu Chulainn obtained 18 Runes during his studies under Scáthach that can be used to respond to many situations. Issei himself can only recreate weaker versions of these spells, nor does he know what each Rune means, only its ability.

 **Protection from Arrows: C**

Provides protection against any thrown weapons, allowing the user to sense incoming attacks even if they can't see them and avoid or deflect the projectiles. Does not provide protection from weapons that explode on impact or a melee weapon with long reach. Issei's weaker version cannot withstand a large number of attacks at once or perform as well when he is tired.

 **Divinity: C**

Cu Chulainn was a demigod born of the Celtic Sun God Lugh and as such displayed incredible talent and skill due to the Divine blood running through his veins. A small portion of this Divinity is granted to Issei from the hero when using the Include state.

 **Booted Gear: A**

Type: Anti-Unit (Self)

Maximum Amount of Targets: 1 Person

One of the thirteen Longinus Sacred Gears created by the Biblical God, it houses the soul of one of the two Heavenly Dragons, Ddraig. This gauntlet is capable of doubling the power of its wielder every ten seconds to the set maximum the user's body can withstand.

 **Gae Bolg, Spear of Piercing Barbed Death: C**

Type: Anti-Unit

Maximum Amount of Targets: 1 Person

The primary ability of the Demonic Spear Gae Bolg, given to Cu Chulainn by his mentor Scáthach during his journey though the Land of Shadows. This ability reverses the nature of causality ensuring that, barring a great deal of luck, the target's heart will be pierced. Due to the reduced rank, it is a lot more taxing to activate this ability, often exhausting Issei after multiple uses.

 **Archer Include state:**

 **STR: E**

 **CON: F**

 **AGI: B**

 **MGI: C**

 **LCK: D**

 **Boosted Gear: A**

Type: Anti-Unit (Self)

Maximum Amount of Targets: 1 Person

One of the thirteen Longinus Sacred Gears created by the Biblical God, it house the soul of one of the two Heavenly Dragons, Ddraig. This gauntlet is capable of doubling the power of its wielder every ten seconds to the set maximum the user's body can withstand.

 **Phoebus Catastrophe: C**

Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Maximum Amount of Targets: 100 People

A complaint letter on an arrow seeking the divine protection of Artemis and Apollo with the Tauropolos received from the Guardian Deity Artemis. When fired towards the sky it causes either a rain of smaller light arrows to descend upon the targets or a single powerful light arrow capable of killing most enemies with a single hit.

 **Magic Resistance: E**

 **Crossing Arcadia: C**

While moving Issei can jump over all obstacles, including opponents, on the field. The speed of the movement depends of the rank of the skill.

 **Aesthetics of the Last Spurt: D**

Allows enemy to take the initiative and after confirming the action Issei can anticipate them. Due to being reduced to a D ranking this ability is no longer as detailed in its predictions, or as accurate.


	4. School Shenanigans

**Hey guys hope you like this chapter, personally I don't feel like it was my best but I couldn't feel satisfied no matter how many times I rewrote it so I just uploaded it, so I wouldn't keep you guys waiting. Next chapter I'll try doubly hard to make up for it.**

 *****IMPORTANT*****

 **Many people pointed out that the F rank is actually a normal humans abilities while G is subhuman, so by following that logic Issei would actually get weaker CON and LUK when including Archer and Lancer respectively. I agree that this is ridiculous and I'll admit that I was overzealous in nerfing Issei so that he wouldn't stomp everything yet. So I've changed it from everything in the Include being two ranks below the original to being just one (although I was tempted to leave the LCK rank the same). The stat sheet in the previous chapter has been updated if you want to look at that.**

 **Question time:**

 **serialkeller: You're right but desperation can make people do stupid things, remember he had already been in Sona's bad books before that.**

 **Stoiche: You'll see.**

 **Fatelover: By popular demand Scáthach will be added to the harem, I'm still a bit indecisive about Morrigan though. Your ideas for the triggers are close but will they be triggers for Include or Install? Who knows? As for Rider and Assassin…one hint per person.**

 **Polar Wolfstar: Yes Scáthach design is based off the F/GO one, now if only they would tell me what her damned Noble Phantasms actually do so I can use them…seriously why would you give us their names but not tell us what they do yet. Ah well at least they've given us her basic stats.**

 **Kinunatzs: Don't worry I am aware of how magic resistance works in Fate although I am hazy on how it works in DxD, could you give me a basic summary of it?**

 **Akuma-Heika: You were right the effect was called Burst (I think), thanks for reminding me. As for Kiba, I thought so as well but when I double checked on the wiki before I wrote that chapter it said that he got it from his friend's souls. Rather dark isn't it? Finally I'm very impressed you picked that up about Gae Bolg, I thought people wouldn't figure that out until much later.**

 **cj1of4: Funny thing is, the idea for Ddraig being good at chess came from a hilarious fan art I saw awhile back with Ddraig doing that exact thing.**

 **Slayer 10321: Yep he sure does, the Kyoto arc is going to be so much fun to write.**

 **The trolling SnarkLord, YellowHellos: Thanks for the advice about Zelretch's fighting styles, they'll definitely help if I decide to make him actually fight.**

 **ManlyMan: Assassin has been decided, there are hints in chapter one.**

 **BlueXtreme: True Lancelot would have been better, but Berserker vs Heracles was one of the two fights that inspired the idea for this story. So there was really no chance of it being anyone else, also is there anyone who hasn't figured out who he is yet?**

 **eternaldestiny . deathsquad: When he Includes two cards at once the personal skills do stack but his stats don't double. Instead, they simply become whichever is higher of the two Include stats, I'll put Issei's stats at the end of the chapter for you.**

 **Guest: Well considering who Beserker and Archer are…yes the Greeks will be in this story but they will be added later, I'd tell you when but that'd be a massive spoiler.**

* * *

"Hey Issei did you hear?!" exclaimed Motohama, eagerly.

Issei just groaned as he pushed his head up from the table and stared at the two perverts crowding around his seat, "hear what Motohama-san?" he replied with a yawn.

"We're getting two new transfer students in our class today, I bet they're cute girls," answered Matsuda, excitedly.

The teen just shook his head at the two perverts as a smile spread along his face, "oh please when are we ever that lucky?"

"Let us dream Issei!" cried the Perverted Duo, causing him to laugh and reflect on how the two were starting to grow on him.

After proclaiming him to be a 'Saint of the Oppai' the two perverts had rapidly become permanent fixtures in his school life, and Issei was surprised to find that he didn't mind. It was probably because after a couple of days of having his whole world go into chaos, the normal perverted antics of these two were rapidly becoming his only stability he had left.

Plus his reputation didn't even matter anymore thanks to that damn pretty boy Kiba, so he didn't need to worry about the consequences associating with them. In fact, he could even consider the two perverts to be his only friends in the whole school at this point.

[That's kind of sad partner.]

'Shut it Ddraig, it's partially your fault I'm in this situation anyway,' he grumbled before turning back to the present as he realized the two perverts were staring at him.

"So Issei, we heard you were accepted into the Occult Research Club," said Motohama with a huge grin.

Issei just nodded slowly, "yeah that's right. Why do you ask?"

"We were wondering…" started Matsuda.

"…if you could get us a date with them," finished Motohama with a hopeful smile.

Issei just looked the two of them and sighed, "Alright I'll try but no promises guys, who knows they might have some friends who're looking for a date."

"Issei Hyoudou, you are truly a Saint!" cried the two of them as they choked Issei in a hug, anime tears streaming down their faces.

"Guys…can't…breathe," he choked out before gasping for air as the two let go once they heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

"Alright class, take your seats, homeroom is about to start," ordered their teacher as he walked in and approached his desk.

Issei just waved to his new friends as they left for their seats and zoned out as he began staring out the window, not noticing the sound of the door opening again nor the two figures that walked in. The teen yawned tiredly and began to rest his head on the desk as a combination of stress and exhaustion exacted their toll on him.

"Issei Hyoudou wake up!" yelled the teacher, snapping him from his pleasant daze.

Groaning Issei looked up at the teacher and blinked in confusion as he saw two, oddly familiar looking, girls standing next to the staff. They were both clearly foreigners, likely of European descent from their looks. Each of them gave off an otherworldly beauty that didn't just catch the eye, but demanded that others stand up and take notice of it.

One of them had glossy black eyes and long ebony hair that was braided into a large ponytail, extending down to her waist as well as black fingerless gloves and long black stockings to go with her Kuoh uniform, what caught his attention however was the crow feather resting in her hair. Then for a brief moment, the girl's image changed to that of a woman clad in black with an Ebony spear in her hand and standing in a bloody field with what seemed like an army of spectral figures behind her. The moment passed quickly however and Issei suppressed a shudder as he focused on the other transfer student.

Unlike her counterpart, she didn't have black hair but instead a shade of purple with hints of red appearing when seen in the light. She didn't have a braided ponytail either but rather let her long hair flow freely down her back, stopping just short of her waist. The most eye-catching thing about this girl was her eyes however, as the deep crimson orbs darted around the room before fixing themselves on Issei.

As their eyes met Issei felt a massive headache and the girl before him changed, no longer was she wearing the Kuoh academy uniform. Instead, she was clad in purple skintight leather armour with metal shoulder pauldrons and holding a very familiar red spear in her hands. Snapping out of his vision Issei saw the purple girl grin at him while the black one just glared at the teen.

[Partner this is bad. Real bad.]

Issei just frowned as he heard Ddriag's worried voice, in the short time he'd known him, the dragon had never sounded like that before. 'What's the matter Ddraig?' he asked in concern.

[Those two are dangerous, really dangerous.]

'Why do you know them or something?' replied Issei as he felt the gaze of the two new students stay fixed on him.

[Not personally no, but someone else does. Just keep your head down and try not to attract their attention, and under no circumstances use the Lancer card, understood?]

Hearing the dragon's worried orders Issei nodded his head discreetly, only to jump as he heard the teacher slam his book on the table and glare at him. "Good to see you're finally paying attention Hyoudou-san, now get moving!" shouted the teacher.

"Moving sensei?" repeated Issei in confusion.

The teacher just glared at him before replaying, "Yes as I've been saying for the past five minutes, while trying to get your attention. The Student Council wants you to give our two new students a tour of the campus."

"What?!" he cried, jumping up from his chair.

[Well partner it is official, you have the worst luck I've ever seen. You're giving Cu Chulainn himself a run for his money.]

'That's not helping Ddraig,' thought Issei angrily as he felt the Lancer card beginning to radiate, was that _fear_? Suddenly Ddraig's warnings seemed a lot more credible and he had to keep a hand over the cardholder to hide the card's glow from view.

[Easy partner, just go along with it for now. No need to make yourself more suspicious then you already are.]

"Is there a problem Hyoudou-san?" replied the teacher with a glare.

Issei just shook his head and growled, "No sensei."

"Good, then get to work!" ordered the staff.

Issei just silently cursed his Lancer luck as he got up from his seat and walked over to the new students, attempting to ignore the increasing heat coming off the Lancer card as he got closer to them.

"Well let's go shall we?" asked Issei, trying to keep a worried expression off his face as the two girls nodded and followed him out the door.

"So is there any place you two want to check out first?" he asked, attempting to strike up a conversation with the two of them.

The black one just shrugged and turned to her companion whom adopted a thoughtful expression before a grin spread across her face, "yeah does this school have a dojo?"

Issei nodded cautiously, "yeah there is one that the Kendo club uses in the Gym."

"Take us there," she ordered, the grin still wide on her face.

[Partner I've got a bad feeling about this.]

'Think about it this way Ddraig at least it can't get any worse right? Right Ddraig? Ddraig?' replied Issei, only to get a worrying silence in response.

* * *

"Well this is it," announced Issei as the trio entered the Kendo dojo.

"Where is everyone else?" questioned the black girl, curiously.

"In class probably, most students shouldn't be out in the halls right now so the place is usually abandoned around this time," informed Issei, only to frown as the two girls shared a glance before the purple one approached him.

The girl just smiled sweetly and for some reason caused a fearful shiver to run down his spine while the Lancer card grew so hot, it felt like it was burning his leg. "Hey, Issei wasn't it? Let's have a spar!" she stated and began dragging him onto the sparring room floor.

'Wait what?! Oi Ddraig what's going on? Who are these people?' demanded Issei.

[It's not my place to say partner. Just go along with it, hopefully we're wrong about them.]

'We?' replied the teen in confusion, only to growl in frustration as he got silence in reply and brought his attention back to the present.

"Hold on, why do you want to fight me?" cried Issei as he struggled to break her vice like grip on his arm.

"Does it matter? A beautiful girl is asking you for a favour Issei, are you just going to ignore her?" replied the girl with a pout.

The teen just gave her a deadpanned expression, "considering what happened last time a pretty girl asked me for a favour and how my luck has been recently, yes."

The purple girl raised her eyebrows and turned to her black haired companion, "did you hear that sister? This pervert just started bullying me."

'Huh? They're sisters? But they look nothing alike,' wondered Issei in confusion as he turned to see the black haired girl give an evil smile.

"I sure did, I wonder how much trouble he'd get into if we told the staff about this?" replied the black haired girl.

"What but I didn't do anything?!" exclaimed the teen in shock.

"That's not what my sister and I saw, you were mean to me and made me cry on my first day," grinned the purple girl. "But maybe you could cheer me up slightly with a little spar and I might forget all about it."

Issei's mouth dropped open at this blatant manipulation as he just glanced between the two before the teen sighed in resignation, "fine but how will we spar? The Kendo club keep all their supplies locked up and I don't know any martial arts."

"That won't be a problem," replied the purple girl as she walked over to her companion and pulled out two long spears made completely out of wood.

The girl then threw one of them at Issei and walked to the other end of the sparing ground as she got into a familiar stance that Issei instantly recognized. That stance was the same used by the hero that resided in his most trusted card that was Cu Chulainn's stance.

"How do you know that stance?" he growled as a frown crossed his face.

"I could ask you the same thing," she countered with a grin.

Issei just glared at her before an idea popped into his head, 'that it! Zelretch did say that my Heroic Spirits came from an alternate reality so this must be my world's Cu Chulainn!'

"You know I never expected the 'Shield of Ulster' to be a female, what's next King Arthur?" laughed Issei, bringing surprised looks to the other two's faces.

"Although I do have to admit you aren't very ladylike. I guess I can see how people would mistake you for a male, wear some armour to hide your gender and no one would notice," mused the teen.

There was silence in the dojo as the two girls just stared at Issei in shock before the black haired one watching from the sidelines suddenly burst out laughing. "Did you hear that _Cu Chulainn_? Apparently, our friend here thinks you're lacking in feminine charm," she teased through bawling laughter.

[You know partner sometimes I really do wonder if you do this on purpose or not.]

Issei just growled at the dragon before turning back to the purple girl, only to freeze in fear at the sight that greeted him. The girl's eye was twitching as a chilling smile spread across her face, in fact it seemed like her body was covered in a demonic black aura that just radiated killing intent.

"You're such a funny boy aren't you? And here I was planning to go easy on you but now…I'm going to enjoy myself," she said as Issei felt the killing intent intensify around her.

'Oi Ddraig what do I do? She looks serious here,' panicked the teen as the sense of fear from the Lancer card grew exponentially.

[Well we had a good run partner, our time together may have been short but I just want you to know that it was the most fun I've had in years.]

'Ddraig? Ddraig! You useless dragon!' growled Issei but any further insults were interrupted as a wooden spear slammed into his stomach.

Collapsing to the ground Issei dropped his spear and tried regain his breath as the teen struggled back to his feet, picking up the wooden spear in the process. 'What just hit me?' he thought, groggily.

Looking back at the female 'Cu Chulainn' in front of him Issei frowned as he saw her still standing in the same place as she started with a smug look on her face. 'It couldn't be her could it? She hasn't moved from that spot since we started,' he reasoned with a frown…then he blinked.

When he opened his eyes again Issei saw the purple girl literally inches from his face as she raised her spear and slammed it into his gut. Winded Issei was brought to his knees and looked up to see his opponent back at in the same spot as she started in.

Issei struggled to his feet again, as he gripped his own spear with white knuckles and glared at the girl, "no human can move that fast, not even Cu Chulainn himself. Who are you, really?"

The girl just smiled, "if you can land a hit on me then I'll tell you."

 **[BOOST!]**

Issei frowned as the Boosted Gear appeared on his arm and he gripped his spear tightly before charging the girl, only for a loud clack to echo throughout the room as the two spears collided together. As the two weapons met Issei was brought close to the girl's face and immediately wracked by a headache, as the Lancer card began glowing so brightly that the entire cardholder was covered in light.

 _The two fighters stood facing each other at opposite ends of the field, both of them holding a wooden spear in their hands. The first was a young looking blue haired man wearing blue leather armour, the other was an equally young looking woman clad in a similar purple leather armour._

 _Neither said a word to the other, neither needed to, the two's eager smiles on their faces speaking volumes. The blue clad man moved first as he rushed towards her at a ridiculous speed and the woman did the same. The two met with a clash of spears but it was clear that the woman was winning as she started pushing her opponent back until their faces were inches apart. In desperation the man head-butted the girl as their weapons locked themselves together before he was kicked in the gut and sent flying away._

" _You've still got a lot to learn if you want to beat me Sétanta," laughed the woman with a fond smile._

" _Oh really?" coughed Sétanta with a smirk as he pointed to his forehead._

 _Frowning the woman placed a hand over her face and her eyes widened as she felt the blood running down her skin, "well I'll be…you finally landed a hit on me."_

 _The young Cu Chulainn just smiled as he struggled to his feet._

The images faded away from his mind and snapped Issei back into the present as their spears were still locked together, the girl showing no strain from holding back Issei's doubled strength. 'What was that?' he thought in confusion.

"So that's the legendary Longinus, Boosted Gear?" scoffed the girl, breaking the teen out of his thoughts. "And they think that can kill a God? That's ridiculous, I should know I've killed a few myself."

 **[BOOST!]**

Issei just glared at her for insulting his partner and again went on the offensive, only for the girl to sigh in disappointment as she blocked the strike. As the two spears collided Issei tried to use his newly doubled strength to overpower her, only to see the girl not only hold her own but start to push him back.

"Cute, but it'll take more than that to overpower me," she grinned before as she used her strength to press her face inches from Issei's.

 **[BOOST!]**

Issei tried to push her back but she was just too strong and in a move of desperation he head-butted her as the girl pressed her face in to him again. Eyes widening the girl staggered slightly while Issei just fell to the floor in pain, his head feeling like it had just hit a brick wall.

"That move…" muttered the girl as her crimson eyes bore into his "Looks like Morrigan and Lugh were telling the truth after all, you are connected to _him_."

"Your lack of faith in us is insulting," remarked the black haired girl watching from the sides with a frown.

"Morrigan? Lugh? What are you talking about?" questioned Issei, frowning at the mention of the Celtic Gods.

"It doesn't matter," replied the purple girl as she eyed him with an appraising look. "Oi use your card already, I'm getting bored her."

Issei just froze as a cold feeling spread across his body, "card? What are you talking about?"

The girl glared at him before she instantly appeared inches from Issei's face, "I mean the Lancer card that somehow connects you to Cu Chulainn."

[Well looks like the cats out of the bag, partner.]

'Ddraig what do I do?' panicked the teen as he sent his spear at the girl, only for her to catch it in one hand as she ripped it from his grip and snapped it in two.

[They already knew about it somehow, so there's no need to keep it a secret.]

Nodding Issei backed up from the girl, whom just watched with a calculating expression as he grabbed the glowing cardholder and brought the Lancer card. "Include Lancer!" he shouted and both the girl's eyes narrowed as they saw the spear in his hands.

"What do you think? You spent more time with that spear then even your student did," asked the black one curiously.

The purple girl nodded with a frown, "you were right Morrigan. That spear definitely has the same aura as Gae Bolg."

'Student?' thought Issei before his eyes widened as a look of fear and realization crossed his face, Cu Chulainn didn't have any pupils and only one person could ever call Cu Chulainn their student. To make matters worse she called her companion Morrigan, as much as he wanted to believe it was a coincidence, even Issei knew he was deluding himself.

 **[BOOST!]**

"You're Scáthach, Cu Chulainn's teacher. What could you and the Goddess, Morrigan herself, want with a human like me," stated Issei as he gripped Gae Bolg tighter.

Scáthach just smiled, "we'll tell you but first I have a little test for you."

"Test?" repeated Issei.

The immortal witch held out a hand as if to grasp something and Issei saw a red light form in her hand before it extended to nearly her height in length. As the red light died down Issei gasped as he saw a familiar blood red spear in her hand, giving off an incredible amount of bloodlust.

Scáthach got into her stance, "let's see which is stronger, my Gae Bolg or yours."

* * *

 _The cursed spear of the Celts, descended from the Norse spear Gungnir, and Brionac, the spear of the Celtic God of the Sun, father of its most well-known wielder Cu Chulainn. The tragedy of Gae Bolg is one of the most infamous of all the Demonic weapons in the world, yet despite its infamy very few have ever seen the weapon as it is jealously guarded by the Celtic Sun God, Lugh. Those few who have seen it all report the same thing however, a blood red spear with an overwhelming amount of bloodlust emanating from the weapon._

 _Originally obtained by the immortal witch Scáthach through means that have been lost to time, she eventually gave the weapon to one of her most successful students, Cu Chulainn. The witch then asked her student to kill her but sadly; she had grown so powerful that she had been cursed to 'not be considered human.' Not even the cursed spear could end her existence and so Gae Bolg failed to kill the one person it was intended to._

 _Eventually Cu Chulainn left, taking Gae Bolg with him and forged his own legend as the 'Shield of Ulster' but in the process ending the lives of his close friend and son with the cursed spear. It is known for its ability to 'reverse the nature of causality' ensuring the opponent's heart is pierced, however what is not as well-known is its second ability, that was developed and mastered by Cu Chulainn. When thrown Gae Bolg supposedly…_

"Kiba what are you doing?" questioned Rias, as she walked into clubroom.

Kiba immediately snapped out of his book and stood up to greet his King, "Buchou, I was just doing some more research on Demonic weapons. I thought there might be something to help us identify Issei's spear Akashi."

"Oh?" replied Rias with raised eyebrows. "Have you found anything?"

The knight frowned as he pushed the open book towards her, "I had a hunch that I wanted to follow up on and I think I found something, Buchou was there anything about Akashi that stood out to you?"

"The bloodlust. I've never felt anything like it before, even from other Demonic weapons," replied the Devil with a frown.

Kiba nodded and gestured to the book in front of his King, "exactly, no normal Demonic weapon would ever emit that much bloodlust. So I looked up famous Demonic spears that had a reputation for their bloodlust and I found something."

"Gae Bolg?" replied Rias with a shake of her head as she put the book down. "Kiba while I applaud your efforts to find answers about Akashi, I think you might be seeing connections that aren't really there."

"Buchou just hear me out," argued the knight. "Gae Bolg is described as a red Demonic spear that practically oozes bloodlust, Akashi matches this description exactly."

"It also is one of the most well-guarded artifacts of the Celtic Pantheon, trust me Kiba if it had been stolen we would have heard about it by now. In fact if Issei did have Gae Bolg don't you think the Celts would have already come here to reclaim it?" replied the red haired Devil.

Kiba frowned and his eyebrows furled in concentration as he considered these points, only to sigh as he couldn't fault the logic behind the arguments. 'Still why do I keep feeling like we're missing something important,' he thought as his frown deepened.

"Buchou did you have any luck finding out about any Sacred Gears that use cards," asked the knight, curiously.

Rias just shook her head, "we found a couple but none of them match what Issei showed us, if anything it seems more like your Sword Birth then any of them."

Kiba just froze before a smile spread across his face, "Buchou that's it! Issei's Sacred Gear must create copies of legendary weapons!"

The red headed Devil frowned, "Kiba putting aside the fact that if a Sacred Gear like that existed then we would have heard of it, this Sacred Gear would have had to of seen the originals in order to copy them."

The knight nodded eagerly, "I know Buchou that must be why he can only use one of the cards. He can only create the copy of Gae Bolg right now."

Rias sighed as she sat down in her seat, "so you think that Issei, an ordinary human, managed to see one of the most well-guarded weapons of _the_ most reclusive of all the Pantheons?"

"Perhaps he did it unknowingly? Maybe he saw it by chance while visiting Ireland? Remember how the Church often takes Holy Swords around the world to find Holy Sword wielders, this situation could be similar," replied Kiba, causing a thoughtful look to cross Rias' face.

Seeing this the knight continued, "it would explain why we never heard of this Sacred Gear before, none of its other wielders ever encountered a legendary weapon so the Sacred Gear never activated."

The red headed Devil was silent for a couple of minutes before she shook her head again with a frown, "Kiba, while your theory makes a scary amount of sense there is one problem with it."

"What's that Buchou?" asked the blonde knight.

Rias' frown deepened as she closed the book in front of her and handed it back to the knight, "you're underestimating just how isolationist the Celts are. There is no way they'd ever take Gae Bolg out of the Otherworld, the God Lugh would never allow it."

"Therefore the only way for Issei to have seen it, was if he somehow entered the Otherworld and befriended one of their deities. Something that I assure you is downright impossible," concluded the Devil.

"But Buchou-" whatever argument that Kiba had died unspoken as both the Devil's flinched and started shivering, feeling an overwhelming amount of power and bloodlust coming from the Gym.

Without saying a word the two Devils rushed towards the building, meeting up with the rest of Rias' peerage along with Sona's on the way. As the group of Devils ran towards the Gym, they felt the power and bloodlust from the building dissipate and began to pick up the pace. Once they arrived at the entrance everyone readied themselves for combat as the doors opened, and low gasps of shock echoed from everyone present.

* * *

Scáthach grinned as she saw his shocked expression, "surprised? This is the Gae Bolg that I gave to Cu Chulainn, part of the deal I made with Lugh and Morrigan here, was to get it back in exchange for my help."

The immortal witch then frowned, "honestly when they told me what was happening I thought they were mistaken, it should be impossible for there to be two Gae Bolg's and yet here they are."

Scáthach spear's tip began glowing a bloody red light as she looked at Issei's spear with an almost pleading expression on her face, "now if there are two Gae Bolg's, does that mean that one is stronger than the other? Could yours be able to do…what mine could not?"

Without waiting for a response Scáthach attacked with a slow jab, expecting the human to once again fail to react in time, only to be surprised as she heard the two red spears give a resounding clang as they met. The immortal witch's eyes widened slightly as Issei used his Gae Bolg to block her strike before deflecting it away from him, creating an opening in her guard as he slammed the blunt end of the spear into her stomach.

 **[BOOST!]**

Scáthach was stunned, not from the pain of the blow, which she barely felt, but from the surprise of the unexpected attack itself. 'His skills have increased dramatically,' she noted, analytically eyeing his form as she backed up.

Compared to the start of the spar where he was barely passing as an amateur spearman, these new strikes were precise and masterful, but most of all they were familiar. 'So that card somehow imprints Cu Chulainn's fighting style into him,' she mused as the witch lazily dodged a jab at her chest.

However, it was clear that while the boy may have the knowledge he still didn't have the experience, speed or strength to go with it, causing little mistakes to occur. Overextending in his swing every now and then or stumbling when his attacks were unexpectedly blocked by her Gae Bolg.

They were only small mistakes, and against anyone else, they would have meant nothing but Scáthach had taught Cu Chulainn everything he knew, often sparring with the hero at full strength and coming out on top. There was no way she could lose to this flawed and weaker style that Issei used and everyone knew it as the boy's spear kept getting deflected with a lazy ease.

"Scáthach, I think this has gone on long enough don't you?" sighed Morrigan as she watched the one sided beat down.

The immortal witch just shook her head at her companion, "not yet he looks like he still has some fight left in him," she replied in an approving tone as Issei picked himself up from the ground.

 **[BOOST!]**

"See," laughed Scáthach as she deflected Issei's attack before tripping him over as he passed her and placed her Gae Bolg above his chest, while his own was resting tip first into the floorboards.

"Not bad Issei but if my student couldn't beat me then you must know that you stand no chance," she commented with a competitive grin.

"You never know until you try right?" smirked Issei, and Scáthach immediately sensed the familiar feeling of Rune Magic beneath her.

Glancing down her eyes widened as she saw the rune that Issei had carved into floorboards with his spear, begin to glow brightly before a brilliant sphere of light enveloped the two of them and blinding the witch. 'So it's not just his fighting style that is inherited. Clever boy, using a Rune of Light like that,' she thought in approval.

 **[BOOST!]**

"Include Archer!" Scáthach heard the twin announcements as her eyesight returned and the witch saw Issei standing in front of her with Gae Bolg ready and a large black bow stored on his back.

"Oi boy, why did you activate that card? You must realize that Atalanta's bow isn't going to help you in this fight right?" frowned Morrigan as she eyed Issei and caused Scathach's eyes to widen in surprise.

" _Go ahead. I shall pass in front of you afterward like a squall,"_ quoted the teen in response with a grin before bringing his spear up to block Scathach's incoming blow, shocking the two females.

"How well do you two know the legend of the Chaste Huntress?" asked Issei as he blocked another of her strikes, causing a frown to appear on Scathach's face before she began picking speed.

Scáthach suddenly found herself on the receiving end of Issei's Gae Bolg and had to quickly abandon her attack and bring her own spear up to deflect the counterattack. The two Gae Bolg's creating a shower of sparks as they clashed, 'what's going on? Even if I'm only at half speed he shouldn't be able to keep up with me.'

 **[BOOST!]**

"Atalanta was often fond of letting her opposing racers get a head start in her footraces before overtaking them and winning. In fact some even believed that as long as she let her opponents move first, she could predict the outcome and change it in her favour," elaborated Issei as he continued blocking each of Scathach's strikes, the witch moving so fast that she wasn't even visible to the human eye anymore.

Scáthach just blinked and laughed as she stopped her assault while giving Issei an approving nod, "if you can't react to my attacks then the next best thing is to try and predict them. You really are a resourceful one aren't you?"

The immortal witch then gained a hopeful look on her face as the Gae Bolg she held began glowing a deep crimson and bloodlust filled the room. "Scáthach what are you doing?! We don't want to kill him!" shouted Morrigan.

Scáthach just ignored the Goddess as she stared at her opponent, "Issei Hyoudou, activate your Gae Bolg, if you don't then you will die," she promised as her hopeful expression morphed into a blank face.

'I need to know which is more powerful, I need to know if he can grant me my wish!' she thought, desperately as the tip of her spear started shaking in anticipation. The teen just gave her a sad look but did as he was told and the room was illuminated with twin crimson glows.

 **[BOOST!]**

"Both of you stop! The Boundary Field can't take much more!" ordered Morrigan desperately, only to be ignored as both combatants continued funneling power into their spears.

The entire dojo was caught up in a maelstrom as the doors and windows began shaking from the force of the crimson energies swirling around the room and forming around the two blood red lances. However, it was clear that Scathach's spear was by far the superior as it gathered more and more of the crimson light, dwarfing the amount surrounding Issei's.

"Is that weak excuse really the best your Gae Bolg can do?" sighed Scáthach sadly, as her wish was again out of reach.

"I suppose it was wishful thinking that I could overpower you in only the Include state, but don't you dare insult Cu Chulainn's symbol," growled Issei fiercely, and the witch watched as the Boosted Gear on his arm began to glow.

 **[Dragon Booster Second Liberation!]**

When she looked at the gauntlet, Scáthach raised an eyebrow in confusion as it appeared to look more…evolved then before with a second jewel now glowing as well as the first. "I'll show you the real power of Gae Bolg," promised Issei as he glared at her.

 **[TRANSFER!]**

Suddenly the crimson energy surrounding Issei's spear expanded rapidly until it was even rivalling the amount forming around Scathach's, and still it kept growing. Morrigan and Scáthach just watched in awe as the entire building began shaking from the forces that were now assaulting it, windows shattering and the doors struggling to stay upright.

As the two looked back at Issei they instantly gasped as the teen's pupils narrowed to familiar beastlike like slits, his iris' glowing a bright orange as he jumped backwards and crouched in a stance similar to a runner's before a race. The two females blinked and no longer were they looking at a teenage boy but Cu Chulainn himself surrounded by the swirling mass of crimson energy.

" **Gae-** "called the figure, sounding as if two people were speaking at once and the crimson energy condensed into the spear's tip.

 **[BURST!]**

With that announcement, Scáthach watched as just before he was going to activate Gae Bolg the image of Cu Chulainn disappeared and the boy suddenly collapsed to the ground. The energy that condensed around his spear disappearing along with Gae Bolg and Tauropolos, which reverted back to their card forms.

Dismissing her own spear, Scáthach and Morrigan turned to look at each other in complete and utter shock before they approached the down teen. "What just happened?" questioned the witch as they stared at Issei.

"A side effect of the Boosted Gear, he must have gone past the limits of his body," replied Morrigan as she knelt down in front of the teen's form and picked up the Lancer card.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" growled Scáthach as she checked Issei for injuries.

The Goddess of Death just shook her head in confusion, "I don't know, it felt as if their souls were…joining…merging…becoming one."

Morrigan then sighed before she picked up the Archer card and put both of the cards back in their holder as she lifted up Issei's prone body. "Come on we need to get out of here," she ordered and headed for the door.

"Why?" Scáthach frowned in confusion before her eyes widened. "Oh, that's why."

The Goddess shook her head again, "I told you the Boundary Field couldn't handle any more power, now every person that has even the tiniest sensing ability within six blocks will have felt the two of you."

Scáthach growled softly but said nothing in response as the two of them quickly carried Issei out of the ruined dojo, all in all it was quite the first day of school for the two Celts.

* * *

"What happened here?" gasped Rias as the group took in the sight of the wrecked Gym.

"Tsubasa, Tomoe, Saji, send word to the staff that the Gym has been closed due to structural failure, then block off the area. We don't want any normal students walking in here until we've assessed the situation," ordered Sona.

"Understood," replied the three Devils as they nodded and left the building.

The Sitri heiress then turned to her remaining peerage members, "the rest of you spread out and see if you can find any clues about what happened here."

"You all do the same," ordered Rias to her peerage, whom just started searching the area as Gremory heiress approached her Sitri counterpart.

"What do you think happened here Sona? I know you already have some ideas," whispered Rias softly.

"A fight clearly, judging from the fact that it occurred in the Gym we can assume that it was likely a spar that got out of hand. We also know that they have to be students or they wouldn't have access to, or knowledge of this area," replied the other Devil as with an annoyed frown.

"Which means that Kuoh academy has been infiltrated, the question now is, by who and how long?" agreed the red head.

Sona's frown just deepened, "it might have been a coincidence, but today we got two new transfer students from out of the country."

"You checked their backgrounds right?" questioned Rias, causing her fellow King to nod with a sigh.

"Everything checked out and our reports indicated that they weren't members of any of the Three Factions," replied Sona.

"What if they weren't from any of the Biblical Factions? You said they were from abroad correct? What country did they come from?" asked the Gremory heiress as a worried frown crossed her face.

"The paperwork said they were from Ireland, whether that is true or not remains to be seen," replied Sona, only to narrow her eyes as Rias' worried expression grew. "Rias I know that expression anywhere, you know something, don't you?"

Rias quickly glanced at their peerages, making sure they were out of hearing range as she nodded, "I think we might be dealing with the Celts."

"The Celts? Impossible, Rias they haven't shown any interest in Devils before, why start now?" countered Sitri heiress.

"I don't think it was us they were interested in," muttered the Gremory clan member in response.

"What do you mean Rias? If they weren't here for us then who?" asked Sona.

"Issei Hyoudou," announced Rias, bringing a stunned expression her fellow King's face before Sona's demonic aura began leaking out. "Sona are you okay?" asked her friend in concern at this strange behavior.

"Of course it would involve _him_ ," growled the Sitri clan member as she turned back to Rias. "What does _he_ have to do with any of this?"

Rias just raised an eyebrow at this as she responded, "right before this happened my knight, Kiba and I were discussing an unusual Sacred Gear that Issei had."

"Akashi? That Demonic spear you wanted us to look up? What has that got to do with any of this?" replied the member of the Sitri clan.

The red head just sighed, "Kiba proposed that Issei's Sacred Gear could copy any legendary weapon that its user saw."

"That's-" Sona was left speechless as she thought about the implications of such a Sacred Gear.

A whole host of legendary weapons at a single person's command, wars could and had been started for less. The Devil gave silent praise that the original Excalibur had been broken years ago, if the Church had had the ability to make multiples of the most powerful Holy Sword in existence they would have wiped out her kind years ago. As it was, they had enough trouble with those damned fragments that the sword left behind after its destruction.

"My reaction exactly," replied Rias as she noted her friend's horrified expression.

"Rias this is very bad, please tell me that Kiba was wrong," asked Sona with a pleading tone in her voice.

Much to her horror Rias' frown only deepened, "he believed that Akashi was actually a copy of the Celtic cursed spear, Gae Bolg, but that left one major problem."

"How did Issei Hyoudou see the original," sighed the Student Council President.

The red head nodded, "exactly, that left two possibilities. Either Kiba was wrong and Akashi has nothing to do with Gae Bolg…or Issei has friends among the Celts."

Sona pinched the bridge of her as she replied in an exasperated voice, "So you think that members of the Celts snuck into Kuoh academy to visit their friend? Rias, why would they bother? They could have just gone through the official channels if they wanted to. We'd be happy to host them, it would she the world that we aren't the monsters they think we are."

"That's exactly why they didn't Sona," replied the Gremory heiress, bringing a confused look to her friend's face. "Think about how much attention would be put on Issei, the reclusive Celts finally venturing out of the Otherworld and befriending him."

"He would be watched day and night, manipulated and Maou knows what else to take advantage of his connection to them," nodded Sona, and the two heiress' frowned as memories of their own pasts caught up to them.

"Still you're making a lot of assumptions Rias, we don't know for sure if the Celts are responsible for this," reminded the Sitri heiress.

Rias was about to reply when she was interrupted by the sound of Tsubaki calling them over, "Kaichou, I think I've found something"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and approached the Sitri Queen as she pointed down to a symbol carved into the wooden floor of the sparring area. Everyone except Sona stared at the symbol in confusion while the Sitri heiress' eyes just narrowed as she crouched down to examine it before giving a tired sigh.

"Well Rias, looks like you were right after all," she announced with a shake of her head.

"What do you mean Sona? You recognize that symbol?" asked Rias, receiving a nod in return.

"I've seen it from some of my sister's journals, you are aware that my sister is in charge of Foreign Affairs correct? She was sent various books on the different factions around the world to help with her job, not that she ever pays attention to them," explained Sona as everyone focused on her.

"What we are looking at is Rune Magic, Rias. It is a form of magic originally developed by the Norse…and perfected by the Celts," she finished with a frown before standing back up.

"We need to find Issei, maybe he'll be able explain to us what's going on. I'll send Kiba to go collect him from class," replied Rias as Kiba nodded and headed for the door.

"He won't be there," informed Sona with an almost embarrassed look replacing her usual stoic expression.

"What do you mean by that Sona?" questioned the Gremory as she frowned at her friend's repeatedly strange behavior.

"Kaichou sent Hyoudou-san to give the new transfer students a tour around the school, they could be anywhere on campus," explained Tsubaki after it became clear that Sona wouldn't respond.

"What? Why did you do that?" asked Rias curiously.

"T-That's not important, what matters is finding him and that's what we should focus on," stuttered Sona as she walked out of the room with her peerage running after her.

Rias and her peerage looked at each other with shocked expressions, did they just hear _Sona Sitri_ stutter? Something that previously only her sister could cause? 'This day has just been one big bag of surprises,' thought Rias with amusement.

* * *

Issei groaned as he opened his eyes and looked around, only to find himself alone in the school infirmary. 'How did I end up here?' he thought, groggily as he got up from the bed and noticed a necklace with a note lying on the bed stand next to him.

[Nice to see you up partner. You had us worried there for a while.]

'Ddraig? What happened? How did we get here?' he asked, trying to ignore the massive headache he had.

[Those two took you here after you collapsed during the fight, healed you, and then left that note and necklace on the table before leaving.]

'I see,' blinked Issei as he picked up the necklace and examined it. It seemed like it an ordinary rock marble rock attached to a string, nothing odd about it until he flipped it over and saw the large number of black Runes that had been carved into the stone.

Placing the necklace back on the desk, Issei picked up the note before sighing as he opened it up and frowned as he read it.

 _Hello Issei,_

 _Unfortunately, we weren't able to be here when you woke up, I might have scared the Devils slightly with our spar. I'm sure you're wondering why we approached you but sadly we don't have time to explain, so we'll have to talk about it later. However, near this note you will see a necklace with Runes carved along one side, this is to remain on your person at all times. You are not to take it off under ANY circumstances and before you ask, it's for your sake more than ours. Don't worry you'll be seeing us again real soon, I don't want to miss any time with my new sparring partner._

 _Your new best friend, Scáthach._

 _P.S. You tell the Devils about us and I'll kill you, okay? Good, glad you understand._

Issei just shook his head as he pondered what he'd done in a previous life to deserve this kind of treatment, 'first a trolling magician, now an immortal witch and Goddess of Death. What's next? My childhood friend turns out to be an overenthusiastic exorcist? Nah that'll never happen.'

Elsewhere a certain Irina Shidou sneezed.

Issei shoved the note in his pocket and just put the necklace around his neck with a shrug as he tucked the stone behind his shirt. "Man sensei is going to be mad at me for missing so much class, still at least it can't get any worse," he muttered, depressed.

Issei should have remembered what happened last time he tempted fate.

"Issei-kun! I found you, come quick we don't have a lot of time," cried a familiar voice as the teen felt someone grab his hand before dragging him down the corridors.

* * *

"Soooo…what's the occasion?" asked Issei as the two groups of Devils just stared at him in disbelief.

"Issei where were you for the past 20 minutes? We've been searching for you," replied Rias, with a frown.

"Unconscious in the infirmary probably, why?" answered Issei truthfully.

Everyone shared a look at his response, "Issei why were you in the infirmary?" asked the Gremory heiress.

He was about to respond when the teen spotted something outside the clubroom window, a large black crow watching him with a familiar glare. 'Umm…Ddraig is that who I think it is?' asked Issei, remembering what the note had said.

[Possibly, she is a God after all. Better safe than sorry in this case partner, at least we know how they found out about the cards now.]

Agreeing with the dragon wholeheartedly, Issei sighed and plastered a fake embarrassed expression on his face, "I kind of fell down the stairs while giving those two transfer students a tour. I woke up in the infirmary about two minutes before Kiba found me."

"Oh really? You fell down the stairs, did you?" replied Sona as she gave off a smug yet hostile atmosphere. "You don't seem to be injured from your little trip and neither does your uniform look dirty from the floor. You must be quite lucky, mustn't you _Hyoudou-san_."

Issei just shuddered in fear from the amount of pain that was promised with that one word before laughing nervously, "y-yeah that's me, good old lucky Issei."

[Partner there are many words to describe you and lucky is definitely not one of them.]

'Shut up Ddraig! It's not my fault that the universe is out to get me,' growled the teen as Ddraig's laughter echoed across his head.

"Issei I'm going to be straight with you so please do the same with me, do you know of the spear called Gae Bolg?" questioned the Gremory heiress.

The teen felt his blood run cold as he tried to maintain a confused expression, judging from the look the two heiress' sent him, he wasn't entirely successful. "Gay Bolg? What's that? Never heard of it, sounds made up," he replied with another nervous laugh.

Rias just frowned while Sona grinned evilly and the others glared at him, "Issei, my brother is the Father of Lies. If you want to deceive me you'll have to do better than that."

Issei just sighed before he looked out the window at the crow that was still watching him with unblinking eyes, "what makes you think that I know anything about this Gay Bolg."

"Akashi for one, your spear bears a remarkable resemblance to the Celtic cursed spear," answered Rias with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know what to tell you, coincidence maybe?" shrugged Issei.

Sona suddenly approached Issei, her hostile aura increasing, "you're lying."

"Kaichou I know you're mad that I beat you chess but you should stop making baseless accusations," argued Issei, hiding his growing fear behind a smug grin.

"You beat Sona in chess! When?" exclaimed Rias in shock, momentarily forgetting about the purpose of this meeting in the wake of this new information.

Sona sent a deadly glare at Issei who ignored it entirely, "just this morning, I made a bet over a chess game and won. Right Kaichou?"

The Sitri heiress gritted her teeth in anger as the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees before slowly nodding her head. "Ara, congratulations on your new engagement Issei-kun," said Akeno with an amused smile.

Sona just froze as an expression of horror crossed her face while Issei looked at Akeno in confusion, "engagement? What are you talking about Akeno-san?"

Rias just burst into laughter, "Sona didn't tell you? As part of her marriage contract she will only marry the man who can beat her in chess. Congratulations Sona I hope you two are happy together, I'm sure the two of you will make a nice couple."

"We're not a couple!" shouted the both of them, only to blink and glance at each other in surprise.

"Ara, look at the two of you. Already so in sync with each other, truly young love," teased Akeno while Rias continued giggling softly into her hand.

To the shock of everyone present the Sitri heiress actually gained an embarrassed blush before coughing as her calm stoic expression returned, "The match wasn't sanctioned by the Sitri family so it isn't counted by my contract."

"That's a shame still at least that means there's still a chance for you right Buchou?" sighed Akeno before she turned to her King, whose face rapidly turned the same shade as her hair.

"Akeno I told you we're not like that!" she shouted, angrily.

Issei just watched the interactions between the Devils with a confused expression as he began inching towards the exit, only to stop as he felt a strong hand grab his shirt and the teen was lifted up into the air. Flailing wildly in the air Issei looked down to see what had grabbed him and was shocked to see Koneko lifting him up one handed as she carried him back to the middle of the room.

"Not done yet," informed the white haired girl as put him back on the ground.

"Ara, ara, Issei-kun, you weren't planning on leaving without permission were you? Do so again and I might have to punish my little kohai," said Akeno with a sadistic smirk as lightning began crackling around her fingertips.

[Partner don't you know any normal girls?]

'Ddraig if there's one thing I've learnt in these past couple of days it's that there is no such thing as a normal girl,' sighed Issei in response.

[You are wise beyond your year's partner.]

"-sei? Issei!" cried Rias, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Sorry Rias, I zoned out for a second there," he apologized.

"I was asking who those two transfer students are and how you knew them?" repeated the Devil.

Issei just frowned as he saw the crow outside focus on him, "what makes you think that I know them?"

"That necklace you have around your neck, I know Celtic Runes when I see them," replied Sona as she took over that investigation.

Issei's eyes widened as he looked down and sure enough saw the rune necklace that Scáthach gave him hanging around his neck. 'It must have fallen out while I was flailing from Koneko,' he realized with a sigh.

"Alright so I do know them, we met online a while back. They wanted to learn Japanese and I wanted to learn Gaelic, eventually we became friends and I convinced them to come study here," he lied, making Sona grin triumphantly.

"If that's true then you should speak Gaelic, correct?" asked the Sitri heiress.

"Sure," answered Issei, after all the chances of anyone here actually speaking the language was slim to nil.

"Funny thing about Devils Hyoudou-san, we are able to speak all human languages, including Gaelic," she smirked and immediately said something to Issei in another language, causing Issei's hope to sink like a stone.

[Don't worry partner, she's not the only one who can speak Gaelic. Just repeat after me.]

The teen smirked as he repeated what Ddraig said, "is cuma cad a deir tú mo bhean chéile daor."

Sona's triumphant smirk faded into a shocked expression that quickly evolved into an angered one as the floor boards beneath the devil's feet turned to ice, looking out the window Issei could have sworn he saw amusement in the eyes of the crow observing him. 'Nice work Ddraig what did you say?' he congratulated his friend.

[Beats me, I'm just the messenger here partner.]

Before Issei could respond Rias spoke up, "Issei we know that your two friends are aware of the supernatural world, please tell us who they really are."

Everyone was silent as they looked at Issei who gave them a sigh, "it's not my place to tell you. If they want you to know they'll tell you themselves. Don't worry though, they're not here to cause trouble for you all."

"Then explain how the Gym was destroyed!" replied Sona with a small growl, causing everyone to stare at the normally composed heiress in shock.

"Ah that…well that was just a bit of fun that got out of hand," answered Issei sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sona's eye began twitching and the heiress started trembling as the temperature in the room plummeted, "you're telling me…that you destroyed…the entire Gym of my school…for a 'bit of fun!'"

Issei just laughed nervously and backed away towards the door as Sona started approaching him again, "is there an answer I can give that doesn't result in me turning into a Popsicle?" he asked, only for the Devil's eyes to narrow in anger.

'Ddraig a little help please!' begged the teen.

[Don't worry partner. We've got an idea!]

As the dragon explained the plan Issei's eyes widened and his face blanched, 'Ddraig are you insane! She'll kill me!'

[Partner this is a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's either this or be put on ice permanently. Take your pick.]

"This is not going to end well," sighed Issei quietly before walking up to Sona.

"Any last words Hyoudou-san," smiled the Devil.

Issei didn't respond and instead leaned in towards the heiress' face and, to the shock of everyone present, kissed her on the lips. Sona's eyes became dinner plates while everyone else's jaws just dropped in comedic expressions of shock.

As the kiss broke off Issei stepped back and braced himself for the retaliatory attack, only to see Sona stunned stiff. Blinking in confusion Issei just waved a hand in front of her blank unseeing eyes and again got no reaction from the heiress.

"I think I broke her," he said to the others, ignoring the shocked, amused or downright horrified expressions that were being sent his way. "So are we done here?"

Rias just nodded slowly, still trying to get over the shock of what just happened and bringing a smile to his face, "before I forget Motohama and Matsuda wanted to know if you all knew any girls that would be willing to date them."

There was silence as everyone just continued staring at him, everyone except Koneko who snapped out of her trance before nodding and writing down a number on a piece of paper and handing it to him. Issei smiled at her and patted the white haired girl on the head, only to frown as he swore he heard the sound of a cat purring.

"Thanks Koneko-chan, I really appreciate it. Let's see here, Mil-tan? That's an odd name," pondered Issei as he looked at the piece of paper.

"She's perfect for them, senpai," replied Koneko.

Issei frowned as he thought he saw an evil smile appear on stoic girl's face but it disappeared quickly, 'no there's no way innocent Koneko-chan is actually evil, is there?' he thought worried.

[She is a Devil partner.]

Shaking his head Issei put the thought aside as he pocketed the paper, "thanks Koneko-chan I'll give it to them later."

The teen then headed to the door only to stop as it was half opened and turned back to the room of Devils, "you don't need my help to find out who they are Rias. You already have all the information you need, you just have to put it together. Don't over think it and the answer will reveal itself."

With that Issei shut the door, just in time to hear Sona scream, **"WHERE IS HE? I'LL KILL HIM!"**

'Looks like Sona snapped out of it that means it's time to go,' thought the teen fearfully as he ran down the corridors to the exit. Only looking back to see twin ice spears pierce the door he had been leaning against moments before freezing the entire door in a solid block of ice. Running out of the old school building the teen was never so happy to hear the end of day bell ring as he evacuated the school premises.

Running away happily Issei failed to pay attention to where he was going and collided with someone, sending the two of them sprawling across the ground. Groaning the teen picked himself up from the ground before looking to see who he hit, helping the nun up with a smile.

"Sorry about that, my name's Issei," he introduced, warmly.

"It's nice to meet you Issei, I'm Asia," replied the nun happily.

* * *

 **Archer-Lancer Dual Include:**

 **STR: C**

 **CON: D**

 **AGI: B**

 **MGI: C**

 **LCK: D**

 **Personal skills and Noble Phantasms of both. (See previous chapter for details I'm not writing them down again).**

 **Boosted Gear Gift: A**

Type: Anti Unit

Maximum Number of Targets: Depends on the energy being transferred.

An evolution of the basic Boosted Gear Longinus, the Boosted Gear Gift retains all the abilities of the original Sacred Gear but also has the ability to Transfer the increased power to other people or objects. The transferred power can be performed on multiple people/objects at the same time, however, this decreases the efficiency, and some of the power will be lost in the transfer. This can also be used on a certain part of the user's body such as the eyes for enhanced vision.

 **## Sorry to anyone that actually speaks Gaelic, I was using Google translate so it was likely wrong.**

 **Also next chapter we have our next Class Card reveal, take a guess on who you think it will be.**


	5. Going Up In Smoke

**First, a serious thank you to everyone who explained how DxD magical resistance works, you guys were really helpful. Next why can Sona use Ice magic? The reason is I felt that it suited her personality better as she comes across as quite cold and composed to others, hence why I had Issei call her Ice Queen. She nowhere near the level of mastery that her sister has though, and water is still her main element.**

 **Questions:**

 **Joking Guest: You nailed it about his luck, it really is simple isn't it. Your theory about using Boosted Gear to break the restrictions on Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu is theoretically possible but remember that Issei was knocked out by using the Sacred Gear on Gae Bolg, which starts a rank above Tamamo's Noble Phantasm. So imagine what would happen if he Boosted enough to raise Blessings of Amaterasu to its original EX ranking. That being said it is an interesting idea and I'll definitely keep it in mind for later.**

 **LL: Yep that's exactly what happened.**

 **Hellfire44: That's a good idea and I'll keep it in mind.**

 **FinalGuardian: What can we say? Zelretch likes to be entertained, accidents just make it more fun.**

 **Kinunatzs: Aside from the stat decrease there is one other thing that nerfs the include states and is different for each Class Card, one person already figured out what it was with the Lancer card.**

 **darkphoenix900: Glad you like the story mate and don't worry Scathach will be added to the harem.**

 **Freshrice01: That is an awesome idea! Now I'm mad I didn't think that up before I started writing, I definitely would have done her as Saber. Unfortunately I've already decided who Saber is…but I will definitely remember that.**

 **TheAllSeeing Eye: Are you psychic? Indeed Protect Koneko, Issei SMASH!**

 **dragon rider: A funny and interesting idea about the legends thing but that wouldn't be possible with two of them unfortunately. As for the Gae Bolg as an arrow, that combined with Tauropolos and Boosted Gear really is a terrifying combo. Unfortunately, I did consider it but eventually decided it wouldn't work. This is because the reason EMIYA can do things like that is he modifies Noble Phantasms into arrows so they can be shot from a bow. While Gae Bolg is more aerodynamic than a sword it still couldn't be fired from a bow, so unfortunately no Exterminadus for Issei…**

 **DestinyFriend: I didn't answer about Gilgamesh because right now I could go either way for him, but I'm leaning towards more an enemy than ally. Simply because Gilgamesh hates Gods so putting him in DxD world and expecting him to play nice doesn't sound like it would work. As for how Issei could get on level ground with him…lets just say I have a plan for that and before people ask it is not an EMIYA card. You're right about Ddraig as well as the heroes being responsible for Issei's terrible luck, very few heroes actually had good luck to begin with, mix that with a Dragon's luck and you get quite the potent recipe. Yeah the Celts are going to be fun, I can't wait to write more on them. As for Issei tempting fate…it was most a running gag, don't worry he'll eventually realize that tempting fate is a bad idea…maybe…it could happen…**

* * *

"So Asia, where are you from? If you don't mind me asking," asked Issei, curiously as the two of them walked down the street.

"Oh I'm from Italy," replied the nun, only for both of them to stop as they heard a child crying.

Asia walked over to the sobbing boy who had a cut along his knee and smiled, "if you're a boy, you shouldn't be crying over a little scrap like this."

Issei's eyes widened as he saw a green light surround the sprout out from the nun's hands and surround the boy's injuries before the wound closed itself back up. 'Oi Ddraig is that what I think it is?' he asked with a frown.

[That's right partner, no doubt about it. She has a Sacred Gear.]

"There the wound is gone now. It's completely fine now," assured the blonde.

The boy wiped away his tears and smiled up at her, "thank you Onee-chan."

The boy just ran off while Asia turned back to Issei, "I must have surprised you," she said with a sad smile.

Issei just laughed, "Asia compared to what I deal with on a daily basis, and it'll take more than a Sacred Gear to surprise me."

Asia blinked as she stared at him, "you know about Sacred Gears, Issei?"

The teen nodded and decided to quickly change the topic, "your power is pretty amazing Asia," he complimented.

The nun gave him a pained look that quickly faded to a sad smile as she replied, "they are fantastic powers, bestowed upon me by God."

"Your expression says otherwise," noted Issei with a frown, causing Asia to flinch.

Seeing this Issei sighed before placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder and giving her a warm smile, "if you don't want to talk about it then that's fine. But just remember that I'm always willing to lend an ear if you need it Asia."

A grateful smile spread across Asia's face, "thank you Issei, I'm really glad I got to meet someone as nice and gentle as you as soon as I got to Japan."

"Is this your first time here?" asked the teen curiously, only to grin and grab Asia's hand as she nodded in reply.

"In that case let me show you around the place, I'll show you the best places around here," offered Issei eagerly, trying to bring back the happy atmosphere they had both shared.

Asia nodded and Issei smiled as the two of them headed into the shopping district, causing the teen to wonder just how Asia had grown up as a child. She was clearly baffled by even the most common things, seriously who doesn't know how to eat a Cheeseburger? To make matters worse she couldn't read any Japanese, much to Issei's shock.

"Asia who taught you to speak Japanese? They were obviously a terrible teacher if they didn't bother teaching you to read and write it," scoffed Issei as the duo walked into the park.

"They decided that all I needed to know was how to speak it, so they didn't teach me your writing system," answered the nun.

"That's odd, well don't worry I'll teach you," smiled Issei as he began writing down the basic hiragana in the dirt.

The duo then spent the next hour teaching Asia the basics of the hiragana writing system, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere until the nun gave a soft sigh. "Issei, can I tell you a story?" asked Asia, quietly.

The teen just raised an eyebrow as he looked at the nun in confusion and frowned as he saw her sad expression, "sure Asia, like I said I'm all ears."

The nun just looked sadly at the setting sun, "once upon a time there was a girl who wanted nothing more than to help others. Then one day she found that she had been given a gift from God, a power to help all those who needed it."

"In gratitude the girl devoted her life to serving God. Her fellow believers, believing her to be a miracle of the Lord, hid her away from others so that they couldn't hurt their _Holy Priestess_. Cutting her off from the very people she wanted to help," continued Asia as Issei remained silent.

"Day after day she was left in isolation; her only comfort was found in prayer to her Lord. But even then, not even her faith could fight off the depressing loneliness that pressed down on her, no one to talk to, no friends to have fun with. Eventually she gave in, and left her shelter to see the outside world, her faith wasn't strong enough to pass that trial," said Asia and the teen saw her eyes begin to water.

A single tear rolled down the nun's cheek, "along the way she found an injured man, no an injured Devil, someone that was meant to be her enemy…and she healed him. Her fellow believers saw this and were shocked, there was no way that any gift from God would heal a Devil. They cast her out, calling her a witch and a heretic, it wasn't her fault she just wanted to help!"

Issei just stared at the nun and his eyes widened as the image of the crying Asia was replaced by the sight of a sobbing girl in a purple kimono with fox ears and a tail.

" _That damn Demon Fox! Find it and kill it, now!" screamed a man as Mizukume heard the growls of the hunting hounds getting louder._

' _Why? Why did this happen? She only wanted to serve others, to help them, she didn't ask to become like this. She didn't poison her beloved Toba! Why wouldn't they believe her?' she cried as pain travelled up her legs from her bleeding feet._

' _They said they cared for her, said that they would protect her, that they would take care of her. They said that they loved her! So why did they betray her like that? Can't they see it? It wasn't her fault he was sick!' sobbed Mizukume, only to fall over in the mud as she tripped._

" _You have come a long way," stated a male voice._

" _What a rough journey you had," commented another voice._

 _Picking herself up from the ground Mizukume looked around and spotted two foxes staring at her with amusement._

" _Don't mock me! Why can't you understand what I'm feeling? Why can't you just offer me some sympathy?" she ordered, angrily._

" _If that is your wish milady Amaterasu," they replied in unison._

" _Amaterasu?" murmured the fox girl before she groaned as sealed memories returned in a massive rush of images._

 _That's right she remembered now, her fascination with humans. Her wish to use her powers for justice, her desire to understand the enigma that is humans. To know what it felt like to devote herself to someone else, to feel the joy her followers do, the dreams of a childish Goddess._

" _Aah, what a fool I was," she sighed._

 _Indeed, it was foolish to think that a deity could live among her subjects, humans by their nature are afraid of what they don't understand. Even though she did nothing wrong, they betrayed her and hunted her down like an animal._

 _The fox spirit looked up as a group of armed men approached her crying form, "Tamamo No Mae, you are hereby sentenced to death for instigating rebellion and attempting to murder the Emperor. Men, kill the Fox Demon!"_

 _A group of armed humans against a facet of a Goddess, the outcome was inevitable and all the humans were slaughtered to the last. Tamamo just looked at the carnage she'd inflicted with horror, she tried to reason with the others but hatred now filled their minds. For three straight days and nights they rained arrows down on her, their arrows blotting out the sun and moon._

 _Covered in her own blood Tamamo looked up as another volley of arrows were incoming, "I wasn't trying to fool anyone. I'll leave now so please just forget all about me."_

 _Just before the volley hit a single tear ran down her face, "it wasn't my fault…I just wanted to help."_

Issei frowned before shaking the lingering images from his mind as the teen focused back on Asia, only to blink in confusion as he saw a ghostly image of the fox girl next to her. Ignoring the fox girl for now Issei just crouched down next to Asia before wiping away her tears with a smile on his face.

"I think that girl has nothing to be ashamed of Asia, no one should suffer through torment like that. After all it's human nature to want to be with others, in fact I think you should be proud. You decided to fight against your fate instead of just lying down and accepting it," he replied, causing her to stop crying as she looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Let them call you a witch and a heretic, let them waste their breath, they don't understand the pain and suffering you've gone through. But I do and I'm telling you that you're none of those things, you're merely a person who wants to help others. And that fact alone makes you a better person than half those so called 'holy men,'" finished Issei with a warm smile.

Asia just stared at him in shock before embracing him in a hug as she cried onto his shoulder; Issei returned the hug and softly comforted the sobbing nun. Looking up the teen saw the ghostly figure of the fox girl, still there watching the two of them with an almost sad and longing look on her face.

'I wasn't just talking about Asia,' mouthed Issei silently to the ghostly figure whom looked at him in surprise before a smile spread across her face as she dissipated. 'That's the second time I've seen specters like that, is this a side effect of the cards? I'll go see Zelretch after this, maybe he'll actually give me a straight answer for a change,' he thought with a sigh as the two broke off their hug.

"Thank you for everything Issei, I really needed it," spoke Asia as she wiped tears away from her eyes.

"I only told you the truth Asia, you don't need to thank me for that," replied Issei, bringing an embarrassed flush to the nun's face.

Asia then clapped her hands together in prayer as she closed her eyes, "oh Lord please bless this man's kind soul and protect him from darkness."

Issei just laughed, "Thanks Asia, with the way my luck has been recently I'll take any bit of help I can get."

The nun nodded happily before she smiled and gave Issei another hug, causing Issei to laugh again as he returned the gesture. However, as they split apart Issei blinked as he felt a headache split his skull in two with the Caster card glowing slightly.

" _Asia? ASIA!" shouted Issei as he shook her unmoving body._

" _Oh looks like you failed after all, such a shame. But with her Sacred Gear not even you can beat me," gloated a familiar female voice._

 _The teen began trembling as he stood up and faced the woman with a rage-filled expression, "that was a mistake…"_

"-sei? Issei, are you alright?" questioned a worried Asia as she stared at him.

'What was that?' frowned Issei as he shook the memories from his mind and gave Asia a small smile. "Don't worry Asia it's just a headache, nothing to worry about."

"If you say so Issei. I have to go now, the others will be waiting for me," informed the nun sadly.

"Don't worry Asia, we'll meet again. I'm sure of it," assured Issei with another smile and waved as the nun walked off.

* * *

Issei sighed as he walked into the maid café that a certain trolling magician had claimed as his new home and braced himself for the slide through the floor as he entered, only to blink as the floor tiles remained solid. "What the?" he muttered as he lowered his guard.

A big mistake.

The minute he let his guard drop the floor beneath him vanished and Issei was once again sent tumbling down to the underground cavern, "ZELRETCH!"

Hitting the ground with a painful thud the teen struggled to his feet and saw the troll staring at him with an amused smile, "you called?" he asked, smugly.

'Must not stab, must not stab,' muttered Issei in his head as his hand twitched towards his cardholder, while Zelretch looked at the teen's arm before nodding approvingly.

"So you unlocked your Sacred Gear did you? Congratulations!" exclaimed the magician in a cheery yet irritating tone.

"So you did know. I figured as much," growled Issei through gritted teeth as the Boosted Gear appeared on his arm.

"Of course I knew! A Longinus isn't exactly the most subtle thing Issei-kun, even in their dormant states, no offense Ddraig," replied Zelretch, causing Issei's unhealthy eye twitch to return with a vengeance.

 **[Some taken.]**

"And why exactly did you not tell me? No wait I know, it wouldn't be as entertaining for you if I knew would it?" sighed Issei as the magician nodded happily and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Ah, Issei-kun. You know me so well," said Zelretch with a fake sob as he wiped away non-existent tears from his face.

'Must not stab, must not stab, MUST NOT STAB!' chanted Issei as he felt his hand close around the Lancer card before letting go as he took deep breaths. Remembering his original purpose for coming here, Issei took the magician's hand of his shoulder and fixed Zelretch with a serious look that brought a raised eyebrow to the old man's face.

"Zelretch I have some questions for you," informed the teen.

"I see," replied the magician with a serious expression before nodding. "Well Issei-kun, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

"Not that!" cried the teen.

Zelretch smacked a fist into his open palm as an understanding smile spread across his face, "oh now I understand! You see Issei-kun, you're reaching the age where your body is changing. Hormones are flooding through your body, your voice is breaking and you're noticing some strange feelings stirring-"

"I WANT TO ASK ABOUT THE CLASS CARDS! YOU GOD DAMN TROLL!" shouted Issei as his eye continued twitching violently and he took out the Lancer card.

"Oh is that all? You should have just simply said so Issei-kun, would have saved us both some time," remarked Zelretch in a scolding tone.

'MUST NOT STAB! MUST NOT STAB! MUST NOT STAB!' growled the teen as the Lancer card began glowing while his eye continued its nonstop twitching.

"Zelretch do these cards have side effects to using them?" he asked, once his temper subsided.

The magician just frowned as he stared at the teen, "what do you mean by 'side effects' Issei?"

Seeing that the troll was finally taking him seriously Issei elaborated, "Well recently I been seeing memories of the Heroic Spirit's pasts for one."

"Odd but not that unusual, the Heroic Spirits are stored in the cards themselves after all. In fact that's probably a good sign, it means you're connections to the cards are growing. By the way congratulations on unlocking Atalanta, I didn't think you had it in you," laughed the magician.

"Gee thanks for the loving support," grumbled Issei before shaking his head as he got back on topic. "What about seeing the Heroic Spirits while I'm awake?"

Zelretch just waved this concern away with a laugh, "Issei-kun I think you're simply hallucinating from stress and exhaustion. It is impossible to see Servants in the outside world, the Class Cards simply don't work like that."

"I know what I saw Zelretch, both Cu Chulainn and Tamamo appeared before me in broad daylight," argued the teen.

"You know about Tamamo? Interesting…and did anyone else see them?" asked Zelretch with raised eyebrows.

"Well no…" answered Issei as he thought back to the number of people that completely ignored Tamamo when she appeared, including Asia herself.

An irritating grin spread across Zelretch's face, "so you're saying no one else can see them but you? Tell me Issei-kun, are they in the room with us right now?"

Issei just growled, "I know what you're doing."

"I'd like to talk to these ghosts Issei-kun," continued Zelretch, ignoring the death glares being sent towards him.

"Stop psychoanalyzing me! I'm not crazy damn it! Ddraig saw them too, right Ddraig?" asked Issei, only to growl at the dragon's amused response.

 **[See what partner? I'm afraid I didn't see anything.]**

"Ddraig don't you start! One troll in my life is bad enough, I don't need a second," shouted the teen before taking a deep breath as he turned back to the magician. "Zelretch I felt one of them touch me, as in _physically touch me_ , these are no hallucinations."

Zelretch's eyes widened slightly before a neutral expression appeared on his face, "Issei I need you to describe exactly what they looked like, leave no detail out."

Blinking at the magician's sudden change in attitude Issei nodded with a frown as he explained, "they looked exactly like the ones from the memories that I was shown. Only they seemed less…solid? They appeared to be almost like a hologram and yet I felt them touch me."

"I see, sounds like a partial incomplete manifestation, but that shouldn't be possible. The Class Cards can't manifest Servants, not even weak manifestations like that, unless…" trailed off Zelretch as he looked at Issei with analyzing eyes.

"Yes that would explain how you were compatible with all seven cards…how interesting I didn't expect this to happen," he laughed. "Issei Hyoudou, you just keep finding new ways to keep me entertained."

"So you know what's going on?" asked Issei, hopefully.

The magician just nodded, "I have a theory, yes."

Issei's eye began twitching again at this response, "are you going to tell me about it?"

Zelretch just gave him another irritating grin, "come come now Issei-kun, you know me better than that. Rest assured there is nothing to worry about, now run along; you have a surprise waiting for you when you get home."

Realizing he wasn't going to get anymore answers from the troll, Issei growled in frustration before he was instantly teleported out of the cavern. Now alone in his cavern Zelretch smiled, "how interesting, I can't wait to see how this will affect the Install states. Still to think I would find a user here of all places…"

* * *

"That damned troll, what has he done this time?" growled Issei as he cautiously opened the door to his house, testing the floor with a stick before he entered.

Sighing in relief as the floor remained solid Issei cautiously made his way into the house, wary of the so called surprise Zelretch said was waiting for him. The teen was surprised as he heard the sound of his father laughing from the living room and as he opened the door Issei blinked before slamming the door shut again.

'Nope, I'm hallucinating. They're not really there,' denied the teen desperately as he rubbed his eyes and opened the door again, praying the sight would disappear. Unfortunately, the sight didn't disappear and Issei just sighed again as he saw his father laughing with a smiling Scáthach while Morrigan was staring at him from across the room.

"Oh Issei. About time you got back, we've been waiting for you," greeted the witch as she saw him enter the room.

"Scáthach, Morrigan, what are you doing here?" he replied as his eye began its twitching again.

"Don't you remember Issei? You offered us a place to stay when you found out that we would be studying here. How could you forget? We've been friends online for years, don't you remember how we taught each other Japanese and Gaelic?" pouted Scáthach, while Morrigan hid a smirk forming on her face.

[So we were right partner, they were watching after all.]

'Honestly Ddraig, I'd be more surprised if they weren't,' sighed Issei as he just shook his head before walking into the kitchen and grabbing a coke from the fridge. Downing the soft drink in one go the teen walked back to rejoin the group with a frown.

"While I did say that, I forgot to inform my dad about it. So dad what's the verdict? Kick them out or let them stay?" asked Issei with a smug grin as he turned to his father.

'Come on old man, realize there is something suspicious here,' prayed the teen as the entire group turned to face his father with expectant expressions.

"Issei, I agree that you should have asked me about this before making this decision," stated his father with a stern look on his face.

Issei was about to cheer in joy at this, only to see his father's expression morph into an eager smile, "however I think this time we can make an exception."

"What!?" choked out Issei.

His father just continued, oblivious to the horrified looks being thrown at him from his son. "To think my son brought two girls home with him, and foreign beauties at that! At last your libido is showing! I was beginning to think you played for the other side."

There was silence in the room as they all stared at the old man with various states of disbelief until Issei just shouted at him, "what the hell gave you that idea!?"

"Can you blame me? The only time you ever showed interest in women was when you dated Yuuma-chan, and you broke off that relationship after the first date," replied his father with raised eyebrows.

[He's got a point partner.]

'Ddraig, I will find a way into that Sacred Gear and murder you horrifically,' promised Issei as he blushed from hearing a small snickering coming from their two visitors.

Elsewhere a certain trolling magician was laughing uncontrollably.

"You know what? I don't care anymore," sighed Issei before he walked up to his room, realizing that any sense that the world might have once had was well and truly gone.

The three remaining occupants flinched as they heard the door to the teen's room slamming shut before Mr. Hyoudou turned to the two Celts, his goofy expression changing into a sad smile as he faced them. "Sorry about my son, he really is a good kid," apologized the father.

"I know he's gotten himself involved with something he shouldn't have," stated Mr. Hyoudou, causing frowns to appear on the faces of the two Celts as the man bowed before them. "Please look after him, he can be a bit hot headed and has a tendency to go in over his head."

Scáthach and Morrigan just glanced at each other before the Goddess smiled at Mr. Hyoudou, "I give you my word that we will see to it that your son doesn't come to any harm."

"Thank you," replied the father in a relieved tone.

* * *

'This is not going to go down well,' thought Issei with a sigh as he walked to school with Morrigan and Scáthach following close behind him. He could already hear the rumors that were going to be spread when they arrived at school together, let alone if people knew he was living with them.

[True but I have to admit, you taking this better than I thought you would partner.]

'Ddraig at this point I've just learnt to go with the flow,' sighed Issei. However, the teen's thoughts were interrupted as they all heard the sound of a car screeching and a howl of pain following close behind. The trio stopped and turned around to see a car speeding off into the distance while a girl cried over the broken body of her barely alive dog.

Scáthach and Issei just watched as Morrigan frowned before she walked up to the child who was crying over the struggling dog. Even though it was still breathing everyone could tell it was only a matter of time as its broken body's loud wheezing began to grow softer and Issei saw the Goddess kneel down in front of the animal.

"Shh…I know…shh…its okay…its okay," comforted Morrigan as she stroked the animal's bloodied fur, causing the dog's pained whines to decrease slightly.

"Please help her Onee-chan! Please!" cried the girl, desperately.

The Goddess of Death just leaned down before she began cradling the dog as its breathing started to slow down, "it's over now…alright girl…let go…let go…that's it…it's time to go…rest now."

The animal's shallow breaths finally slowed to a stop as Morrigan softly lowered the pet back to the ground before turning to face the sobbing girl and embracing her in a hug. Issei and Scáthach said nothing as they watched the Goddess comfort the crying girl, finally Morrigan gave the dog's body another pat and got up from the ground.

"Come on lets go," she ordered as she approached them.

"That was a nice thing you did Morrigan, I must say you're not what I expected from a Goddess of Death," said Issei as they began walking away, hearing the girl's parents rushing over to her.

"Death is but the end of Life, Issei. The accumulation of all that person's experiences, emotions, memories, all coming together for a brief moment. You cannot be a God of Death without first respecting and acknowledging the Life that came before it," replied Morrigan.

"Plus Morrigan here wasn't always a Goddess of Death, she was also the Goddess of Fertility once upon a time," informed Scáthach with a smirk and making Issei's eye widen in surprise.

Seeing his stunned expression Morrigan sighed, "Is it really that big of a shock? I told you one cannot hold power over Life and Death without respecting either."

"Power over Life and Death?" muttered Issei and instantly he thought of his mother's lifeless body as he turned to face Morrigan eagerly. "Could you have done it? Could you have brought back that girl's dog?"

"The Pathways of Life and Death are not something that should be taken lightly Issei Hyoudou, something that those Devils and their damned Evil Pieces seem all too eager to forget," growled the Goddess.

"But can you do it? Can you really bring back the dead?" he asked, with a hopeful expression as memories of his mother's smiling face appeared in his mind.

"Only if they died recently," replied Morrigan, crushing Issei's hope in the blink of an eye as she turned to face him.

Seeing his defeated expression the Goddess of Death sighed, "Tell me Issei, do you think a life is precious? Do you think it's valuable?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do!" growled the teen, only to flinch as Morrigan looked at him with firm expression on her face.

"Why do you value it?" she asked, staring at him in the eyes while Scáthach just glanced between the two with a sad knowing expression.

Issei blinked, stunned at the question being asked by him before frowning as he answered, "because of what it represents. The potential for both good and evil, the experiences you can make, the impact you can have. We value it because it's so fragile and most of all…"

"You value it because there is no second chance at it," finished Morrigan as Issei trailed off with an expression of realization on his face. "Tell me Issei, do you think that life loses meaning if one is simply brought back again and again? Death is feared by humans but at the same time it is what makes Life so precious to them. When Death has no meaning, is Life really that fulfilling? Would you wish to diminish your loved one's existence, their life like that?"

Issei remained silent as he stared at the Goddess whom just turned away from him and looked at the sky with a wistful expression, "Issei, do you know why Gods like humans? Why they interact with those 'lower lifeforms' at all?"

The teen frowned and memories of Tamayo's life reappeared briefly in his mind as he replied, "curiosity, longing, envy, fascination or confusion?"

Morrigan blinked in surprise as she looked at him before nodding with a smile, "that's right, you see to us immortals, humans are an enigma. Even though you know that Death inevitably comes for you, you still manage to be happy, to leave your mark on this world instead of just wallowing in despair."

The Goddess' smile grew larger as she continued, "we immortals are like candles, burning softly throughout the night but you humans…you're like brilliant explosions, bright and illuminating but short lived. However, in that brief time you shine more beautifully then we can ever possibly imagine and whether they know it or not, every faction is drawn to you, like moths to a flame."

"Not all humans are like that you know, many try to do everything in their power to avoid Death. Just look at how many turn into Devils to postpone it," pointed out Issei.

"And in the process they lose something that is precious to them, something that they will come to regret. Believe me Issei, immortality is not a blessing but a curse in disguise," replied Scáthach sadly.

"You know Issei they say there are three times a person dies; once when the body dies, the next is when the body is consigned to the grave. The last, and true death, is when that person's name is spoken for the last time, so as long as you remember them they're never truly dead," comforted Morrigan as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

A tear ran down Issei's cheek as the image of his mother faded away from his mind, "I know but…is it wrong to want to see her again? I just miss her, you know?"

Morrigan sighed softly before she replied in a faint whisper, as her eyes seemed to well up slightly, "the dead should be left in peace Issei…no matter how much we might wish otherwise."

The teen just watched as the Goddess walked away with in shock before he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Scáthach giving him a sad smile, "sorry about her, believe me she knows what you're feeling."

The immortal witch removed her hand from his shoulder as she continued, "did you know she tried to bring back Cu Chulainn?"

"What happened?" asked the teen as he wiped away the tears.

Scáthach just sighed, "She nearly caused a Civil War within the Celtic Pantheon. Eventually she was forced to give up the idea when Lugh talked her out of it."

"Cu Chulainn's father? Why?" asked Issei in confusion.

"He didn't want to risk a Civil War that would kill thousands when his son hadn't even been confirmed dead yet. The old guy is still waiting for his son to return home, even after all these years," replied Scáthach sadly.

"Can you imagine what she must feel? Knowing she could have brought him back but being forced not to," asked the witch, causing Issei to stare at the departing Goddess with sympathy. "I know Morrigan might come across as a bit cold to you, but she really is a kind person Issei."

With her speech done Scáthach walked off after her companion and just as Issei was about to follow he heard a loud bark behind him. Turing around the teen's eyes widened before a happy smile spread across his face as he watched the crying girl hugging her dog in joy, the canine wagging its tail happily as it licked the girl's face.

"You should learn to practice what you preach Morrigan," he murmured with a smile before running after the two of them.

* * *

Issei remembered what had happened after the last time he tempted fate and he certainly wasn't going to make that mistake again. Which is what lead to his current situation.

Issei was scared, no that wasn't right, he was terrified. Why? Because nothing had gone wrong for the whole day, he successfully evaded an angry Sona, made it to school on time, got a passing grade on a surprise test, gave Motohama and Matsuda the phone number from Koneko, he didn't even have to deal with many rumors from arriving with Morrigan or Scáthach.

Indeed, the only thing that was out of the ordinary was a request from Rias to deliver a message to one of Koneko's clients about a need to change the time of their meeting after school. Overall, it was a completely uneventful day; in fact it was one of the best he'd had in a while.

And so Issei was terrified.

While most people would be celebrating and crying tears of joy at such a happy occurrence Issei only grew more and more anxious, waiting for the inevitable bout of bad luck that was sure to strike him. His anxiety only grew as he left the school with Morrigan and Scáthach close behind, causing the two to exchange confused glances with each other.

"Issei what's wrong, you look like you're about to fight a God to the death," commented Scáthach with an amused smile.

"Nothing's gone wrong yet," murmured Issei worriedly.

"Wouldn't that be considered a good thing?" replied Morrigan in confusion.

The teen just sighed as he turned back to his two companions, "I've got to deliver a message for Rias, it shouldn't take any longer than 20 minutes. I'll see you two back at home, providing I survive of course."

Scáthach laughed, "Oh please you're just delivering a message aren't you? What could possibly go wr-"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" cried Issei, fearfully as he looked up to the sky before shaking his head. "You two know the way back right? Good, tell dad to just order pizza for dinner tonight."

"Sure we'll head back then, I haven't tried pizza before should be interesting," replied the immortal witch with a wave of her hand.

Morrigan frowned at this, "don't take too long, we still have somethings to talk about, and remember…"

"I know, I know, keep the necklace on," interrupted Issei as he turned around.

Morrigan looked conflicted before she followed her fellow Celt while Issei walked in the opposite direction, "are you sure we shouldn't go with him?" asked the Goddess.

Scáthach scoffed, "Now you're starting to sound like Issei, don't worry he'll only be gone for twenty minutes. He'll be fine, not even Cu Chulainn himself was that unlucky. Honestly Morrigan relax, what could possibly go wrong in twenty minutes?"

"True," conceded the Goddess with a nod as they walked back to the Hyoudou residence.

Meanwhile Issei was beginning to feel cautiously optimistic since he spent the whole day without tempting fate, he really should have realized that Lady Luck wouldn't let him go that easily. Or that he wasn't the only one that could tempt fate.

"Hello? Anyone home?" called the teen as he approached the address Rias had given and knocked on the door, only to get silence in response.

Frowning Issei was about to walk off when he accidently nudged to door causing it to swing open and reveal a darken hallway. 'Who leaves their door unlocked like that?' he thought in suspicion before sighing as he walked in.

"I hope you don't mind but I'm coming in," he announced, leaving the door open as he kept a hand on his cardholder.

As the teen walked into the nearest room he stopped short as he saw the headless corpse of a man lying in a pool of blood, "what the hell happened here?" gasped Issei.

"It's a shame that he lost his head, a careless sinner who wound up dead. He wore his sin like it was some kind of prize, too many lies, too many lies," sung a manic voice as Issei spun around to see a white haired man in some sort of priest outfit.

"You don't feel like one of those shitty Devils, bah no matter. So did you like my handiwork?" grinned the priest.

"You're responsible for this? Why?" growled Issei as his mind began whirling.

'This house is too small for me to use the Tauropolos and Gae Bolg effectively, I don't know what the Caster card does but if all else fails I can resort to Boosted Gear,' he decided as the teen pulled out the card from its holder. The priest just smiled as he pulled out a gun and some sort of small hilt looking object.

"I'm just doing my job, killing shitty Devils and Sinners is what I do best," replied the exorcist and Issei watched with wide eyes as the hilt object suddenly burst into light.

"A lightsaber?" exclaimed Issei in shock.

The priest just gave him a mocking bow in response before the light sword came swinging at Issei's head eagerly, "the name's Freed Sellzen, remember it well it's the name of the Stray Exorcist that will kill you."

"Include, Caster!" growled Issei as he was covered in light, his Rune necklace glowing a deep black and dark purple.

* * *

The two of them laughed as they drank their tea, one clad in a golden kimono with a sun pattern flowing along its surface while the other was clad in a black and white one with the different stages of the moon beautifully woven into the clothing.

"Indeed Tsukuyomi, I do wonder if our dear brother Susanoo will ever learn to act his age, why just yester-" the gold one suddenly paused mid-sentence as her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, startling her companion.

"Amaterasu? What's wrong?" asked the Moon God, snapping his sister from her trance.

The Shinto Sun Goddess just shook her head, "I thought I just felt…no that's impossible I must have been mistaken."

Tsukuyomi watched as his companion returned to her seat and the Moon God tried to continue their previous conversation, only to frown as he noticed how distracted his sister seemed. Honestly, what could have cause Amaterasu to act like that? A couple of minutes later Tsukuyomi would wish they'd remained ignorant, would have saved them a large number of headaches in the future.

* * *

The insane exorcist frowned as the light died down to reveal his sword being blocked by a large ornate mirror hovering protectively in front of Issei. "A mirror? Ha! Are you that vain that you want to check your reflection before you die?" laughed Freed.

"Of course not, I thought you could use it. After all if looks could kill, then your ugly mug would be more deadly than even Gae Bolg," taunted Issei as the exorcist backed off.

"You shitty Devil lover, I'm going to enjoy breaking you and your precious mirror," promised Freed as he sent another attack, only to see the mirror halt his sword again.

Growling in frustration Freed attacked again with his light sword, intending to shatter the fragile looking mirror with his blade. However, the mirror held firm and the exorcist backed away in confusion as he saw it block the hit without a single crack or blemish on its ornate surface.

Issei slowly stood up from the ground and the mirror followed him, hovering around the teen like a protective guardian as he glared at Freed. The exorcist just snarled as he fired his gun at Issei, only to see the mirror quickly move between the two of them and block the otherwise lethal shots.

"Sorry exorcist but I'm afraid this 'fragile mirror' is more than strong enough to stop those weak attacks," smiled the teen.

Freed backed away slightly as he saw a paper talisman materialize in Issei's hand, "so you're a magic caster, are you? One of those shitty Devil's contracted mages?"

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not," replied Issei before he threw the talisman at the exorcist, whom just laughed as it hit the floor beneath him.

"Pretty shitty mage if you ask me, if you can only throw paper at people," taunted Freed as stepped on the talisman.

"Fiery Heavens!" called Issei in response as the talisman beneath the exorcist's feet suddenly erupted into a pillar of flames and engulfed Freed.

The insane exorcist cried out in pain as he quickly leapt out of the pillar and threw his flaming priest's cloak to the side. "You'll pay for that you piece of shit," snarled Freed as Issei saw a long burn running down his cheek.

"Why? Looks to me like an improvement," he replied as the pillar of flames died down and left a ring of fire that began to spread.

"Father Freed? Is everything okay? I heard shouting," said a familiar female voice, making Issei's eyes widen as he saw Asia walk into the house and gasp at the bloodied corpse on the ground.

"That's right you're a newbie aren't you? Well take a good long look Asia-chan, this is what we do, we kill shitty Devils and all who consort with them," laughed Freed, sadistically as he pointed towards the teen.

"Issei?!" exclaimed Asia as she stared at the teen in shock.

"Asia, run get out of here now!" he yelled at her.

"Oh you two know each other do you? A heretical witch and a shitty Devil lover, now isn't that…disgusting," snarled Freed as he grabbed Asia by the neck and threw her at the wall where she fell down to the ground.

"Asia!" cried Issei as he threw another talisman at Freed, only to see the exorcist dodge to the side as the pillar of fire erupted right next to him.

"Don't worry I won't kill her, my boss told me not to. But she never said anything about me not having some fun with her," replied the exorcist as he licked his lips in anticipation.

"You bastard!" rage Issei and this time three talismans appeared in his hand, causing Freed's eyes to widen as he dived behind a wall that was quickly reduced to smoking rumble.

"Ooh that killing intent is nice, I think I'm in love," taunted Freed from his smoking cover.

Smoke began filling the house and the building gave a loud groan as the flames from Issei's talismans spread throughout the house, weaken the building's support structures. Issei's mirror quickly moved to block the trio of bullets that fired out of the smoke obscured exorcist, only for Issei's eyes to widen as Freed took advantage of this blind spot and got in close.

"You see that's the problem with you shitty magic casters, you don't know how to get your hands dirty. Once the enemy gets in close its all over for you!" laughed Freed as he began a relentless assault on Issei, not giving him time to summon anymore talismans.

The mirror was a good shield but it couldn't handle blocking two attacks at once and Issei was forced to duck as another trio of bullets flew over his head while the mirror blocked a decapitating swing from the light sword.

Realizing this, Freed continued using the mirror shield as a blind spot and began inflicting numerous cuts along Issei's body, causing the teen to grunt in pain as his body began aching again. However, while this strategy did help the exorcist it also made him predictable as Issei noted the repeating pattern occurring from the attacks, always striking for the blind spot.

As Freed began another attack, Issei grinned as he sent a punch into his newly created blind spot and was rewarded with the shocked face of the exorcist, a red gauntlet slamming into his gut and sending him flying.

 **[BOOST!]**

"A Longinus!" cried Freed as he was sent through the wall and into the next room, the building once again shaking as yet another supporting structure collapsed.

"Frigid Heaven!" cried Issei as the hole between two rooms was blocked by a wall of ice, the combination of the growing smoke and ice barrier obscuring the other room from view.

"Damn shitty mage," growled Freed as he stumbled back to his feet and heard a noise above him and saw the ceiling begin to crack, the house finally beginning to give after the constant abuse it had been taking.

Cursing again the exorcist quickly ran out of the room before searching for the knocked out nun as the building began collapsing, if he left her to die then Raynare would have his head after all. Growling in frustration he threw Asia over his shoulder and sprinted out of the burning building just as the roof finally caved in.

Sighing in relief Freed dropped the nun to the ground and watched the burning remains of the building for any signs that the teen had survived, only to see nothing but fire and smoke, "Oi you still there you shitty Devil lover? Come on out or I might decide to have some fun with the little witch."

Freed waited but there was still no sign of movement from within the rubble, eventually giving up he walked back over to Asia, whom appeared to be finally beginning to wake up. "Well hello there witch, now where were we?" he asked with a sadistic grin as Asia began backing away fearfully on the ground.

Eventually the nun felt her back hit a fence and could only watch fearfully as Freed approached and pushed her down to the ground before straddling her, "an unsullied nun gets defiled by a priest huh? Is it just me, or is that kinda hot?"

As the exorcist stowed his two weapons in their holsters an uncharacteristic smile grew on Asia's face before she reached up to his neck. With a strength that defied her petite form Asia then lifted Freed up off the ground by his neck.

"Gotcha," she smiled, smugly.

"What?!...You…damn…traitor!" coughed out the exorcist as the grip on his neck tightened.

Asia's smile just widened, "traitor? Oh please, I was never on your side to begin with."

The nun then began singing what sounded like an odd nursey rhyme, _"I'm going to shapeshift, I will shapeshift. I am you, you are me. I'm going to shapeshift, I shapeshifted. I am you, and you are me."_

Freed's eyes widened as he saw a familiar red gauntlet appear on the nun's arm while that damned mirror emerged from hiding behind her back and once again started hovering around them. Asia was then covered in a soft glow before her form faded away like cracked glass and Issei was standing in her place, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"You little shit-" choked out the exorcist only to be interrupted as Issei put more pressure around his neck.

"You weren't very smart were you exorcist? You didn't stop to wonder why I blocked off vision between those two rooms? Nor did you even take the time to check your surroundings before indulging in your 'fun.' If you had just stopped to look around, you would have seen Asia's unconscious body over there," informed Issei with a grin as he gestured towards the body of the nun leaning against a tree.

The teen then materialized a talisman in his hand, "now you're going to tell me all I want to know or I'm going to shove this talisman right where it hurts. I hear burns are quite painful to heal in those areas."

However before Issei could so much as blink his mirror instantly swung around and blocked a projectile that came sailing at his head, distracting the teen and creating an opening for Freed. The exorcist quickly grabbed his sword from its holster and inflicted a narrow cut along the teen's chest, causing Issei to let go of his neck by reflex. Issei groaned as he heard the familiar sound of flapping wings and looked up to see Raynare and another Fallen Angel he didn't recognize flying in the sky above him.

 **[BOOST!]**

"Hello again Raynare, I should have guessed you were behind this little scheme. Trying to kill another human off, are you? I thought you would have learnt your lesson after what I did to Dohnaseek and Mittelt," he growled as the Boosted Gear started glowing again.

"That was you!" cried the Fallen Angel as she remembered how Mittelt just went missing from the middle of the church, they'd thought she'd just ran away but apparently they were mistaken. "Damn it, Freed grab that damned nun and prepare to retreat."

"Raynare we out number him three to one, let's just take him out now!" argued Kalawarner as Freed picked up Asia's body.

"You're not going anywhere exorcist! Frigid Heaven!" snarled Issei as he blocked off Freed from the exit with an ice pillar.

Issei then had to throw up another couple of pillars of ice to block off the light spears being sent at him by the two Fallen Angels in retaliation, only to dive to the side as Freed dropped Asia and rushed towards him. Unfortunately, the exorcist was too quick and gave Issei a nasty stab wound in the gut, causing Issei to cry out in pain before punching Freed in the face with his gauntlet and bringing a smile to the teen's face as he heard the satisfying sound of the exorcist's jaw breaking.

"See Raynare this kid is nothing special, let's just end this now," laughed Kalawarner as she rushed towards the teen's wounded form, only to back off as a pillar of fire erupted between her and her target.

As the pillar died down they all saw Issei panting heavily on one knee, holding his stab wound with a grimace on his face. Upon seeing this Kalawarner let out a mocking laugh while Raynare and Freed cautiously approached Issei, keeping their guards up.

"Ha! How much energy do you have left after casting all those spells? You novice mage! Now that you're low on energy you're as good as dead, Boosted Gear or not," gloated Kalawarner while Raynare and Freed began to back away slightly as a grin grew on Issei's face.

"True, the main weakness with magic casters is their lack of defense should they run out of energy," acknowledged the teen as his mirror began glowing with a purple light and his Rune necklace from Scáthach began to feel hot.

Everyone in the burning remains of the house felt a strange atmosphere descend upon them as they heard Issei's voice become laced with that of a female's, "God who resides in Izumo…"

The mirror in front of the teen began levitating high in the air as they all saw twelve purple glowing Ofuda talismans materialize before surrounding the mirror and its wielder. "Aesthetically certain, breath of the soul…"

The ground beneath them started shaking as multiple Torii made of purple light erupted from the earth and surrounded the entire area. Freed and Raynare continued backing away while Kalawarner just kept staring at their new surroundings in shock.

"Residing in the mountains and watery heavens, Amaterasu. Let this freely become the proof of purification…" called Issei and the energy that had been charging in the area suddenly began flowing into the glowing mirror at an alarming rate.

The mirror then moved to levitate above Issei as the teen leapt into the air and grabbed the Noble Phantasm before slamming it into the ground as he landed, "Thy name is Weighted Stone of Tamamo. Become the sacred treasure, Mirror of Uka!"

They were all blinded as Issei was engulfed in an enormous pillar of purple light, no one noticing the teen's Rune necklace cracking as everyone heard a loud voice call out, " **Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu!** "

Kalawarner just watched as the pillar of light was absorbed into Issei's body and instantly the teen looked up at her with a triumphant grin, his body radiating energy as he summoned numerous talismans in both his hands.

The Fallen Angel backed up slightly as she turned back to her two companions, only to find them and the nun's body missing. "What the? Raynare? Freed? Where did you bastards go!?" she called out in anger.

"Well Fallen Angel looks like you've been abandoned," commented Issei in amusement, making her turn back to him in disbelief. "Merciful Sky!" shouted the teen as a ring seemed to glow around him briefly and Kalawarner felt the very area around her turn hostile.

Issei didn't offer her any sympathy though as he threw all his talismans at the Fallen Angel, Kalawarner tried to dodge but Issei had spread the talismans out to widely and she was caught in a large pillar of fire. The heat was unbearable and Kalawarner felt the feathers on her wings beginning to catch alight as she quickly escaped the pillar and crashed to the ground.

"You're still breathing huh? You Fallen Angels really are more robust then I give you credit for, any human would have died from those burns instantly," observed Issei as he approached.

Kalawarner struggled to her feet as she summoned another light spear and tried to ignore the pain burning throughout her body. Throwing her spear she watched in dismay as the hovering mirror intercepted it as Issei continued to approach, the flames behind him giving the teen a hellish look as they illuminated the area, the street lights long since destroyed.

"Where did they take her?" he demanded.

"Why do you care? She only arrived here two days ago," scoffed Kalawarner, only to flinch as Issei summoned another talisman.

"I'm asking the questions here Fallen Angel," growled the teen but before he could continue his interrogation they both heard the sounds of sirens growing louder in the distance.

"Looks like you're out of time human, I'm not telling you anything," coughed Kalawarner with a triumphant smile before leaping into the air and flying as fast as her damaged wings would let her.

"So be it then," replied the teen coldly as he grabbed the Archer card and summoned Tauropolos.

Nocking an arrow Issei then materialized another talisman before wrapping it around the arrow and sighting down on the fleeing Fallen Angel. Taking a deep breath Issei released the arrow, which went sailing into Kalawarner before bursting into a pillar of flames.

As the mirror and bow faded and transformed back into their respective cards, Issei just watched as the pillar faded before he quickly leapt over the nearby fence and rushed home as the emergency services finally arrived on scene to put out the fire.

Elsewhere at the Hyoudou residence two Celts were happily enjoying their first ever pizza, "Issei is late," noted Morrigan with a frown.

Scáthach just sighed, "Morrigan I told you to just relax, honestly what could go wrong in only twenty minutes?"

" _Breaking news! A nearby housing complex has recently burnt down, thankfully there are only two casualties reported so far; a male resident and a so far unidentified female. Due to the nature of the male's death police have concluded that foul play is likely, so far no group has claimed responsibility but police believe local Yakuza are responsible…"_

Morrigan and Scáthach both turned to see the TV report that Mr. Hyoudou was watching before shrugging their shoulders and continuing to indulge in their newly found favourite food as they heard a knock on the door. "See that's probably him now, I told you everything would be fine," assured Scáthach as she got up from the table and answered the door, only to have Issei collapse in her arms.

That was the day Issei realized he shouldn't tempt fate, it was also the day that he realized that fate would find a way to screw him over regardless.

* * *

Both Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu froze as they felt an incredibly familiar yet impossible power begin to draw energy from their homeland's Leylines. Amaterasu just dropped her tea mug in shock, not noticing or caring that the cup shattered on the ground and the tea began to soak into her kimono.

"Amaterasu do you feel that?" asked Tsukuyomi in shock.

The Sun Goddess just nodded in silence, too stunned to speak as the power continued siphoning off energy from the Leylines. Tsukuyomi could understand her reaction, after all it wasn't every day you felt someone with the exact same power as you.

"That's not possible," whispered Amaterasu, softly with wide eyes.

Tsukuyomi nodded in agreement, this new power felt exactly like his sister's, granted that it was much weaker but still the resemblance between the two was so close that they were near identical. In fact, if Tsukuyomi didn't know better he would have thought that there were two of Amaterasu, the one standing before him and the weaker one draining the Leylines.

"Is it your chosen priestess?" asked Tsukuyomi, only to see Amaterasu shake her head with a frown.

"No, Yasaka can only access the Leylines in and near Kyoto, plus she would be taking much more power than this…individual," replied the Sun Goddess. "Besides I know what her power feels like and this is far too similar to my own to be hers."

"Could it be a fragment left behind after your…experience in the mortal world?" questioned Tsukuyomi softly, knowing how sensitive the topic was for her.

"Possible, but I thought I collected all my fragments after the Killing Stone was broken. For one of them to not only remained hidden but gain sentience after so many years, let alone how it retains the ability to access the Leylines," frowned Amaterasu.

"It is odd, so what do you want to do? Go and collect it?" asked Tsukuyomi, curiously, only to frown as they felt the power disappear as it stopped draining the Leylines.

Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu blinked as they tried to sense it again only to fail as it seemed to literally disappear of the face of the planet. The two Shinto Gods just looked at each other in shock, "it would seem this fragment is quite good at masking itself," commented the Moon God.

"Indeed, I'll send word to our followers in Kyoto to be on the lookout for it. In the meantime I'll keep my eyes on the Leylines, if it revealed itself before to use them it might do the same again," agreed Amaterasu with a sigh.

"And if you do find this individual? What will you do then?" questioned her counterpart.

The Sun Goddess was silent as a thoughtful look crossed her face.

* * *

 **Caster Include State:**

 **STR: F**

 **CON: F**

 **AGI: C**

 **MGI: B**

 **LCK: E**

 **Boosted Gear Gift: A**

Type: Anti Unit

Maximum Number of Targets: Depends on the energy being transferred.

An evolution of the basic Boosted Gear Longinus, the Boosted Gear Gift retains all the abilities of the original Sacred Gear but also has the ability to Transfer the increased power to other people or objects. The transferred power can be performed on multiple people/objects at the same time, however, this decreases the efficiency, and some of the power will be lost in the transfer. This can also be used on a certain part of the user's body such as the eyes for enhanced vision.

 **Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu: E**

Type: Anti-Army.

Maximum amount of Targets: 100 people.

A divine treasure from the land of the dead, this mirror is the temporarily released form of the Weighted Stone of Tamamo. Once activated this Noble Phantasm draws in energy from its surroundings, including living organisms such as the users opponents, to allow the user to cast spells without draining their own reserves. It was once able to bring back the dead and was originally an EX rank Anti-World Noble Phantasm capable of covering a country, however during the Moon Cell Holy Grail War restrictions were placed on it, reducing it to a D rank and limiting the amount of energy that can be stored.

 **Witchcraft: A**

Also known as Maleficium this type of spellcasting is similar to the Dakini heavenly methods, this type of magic functions differently from magecraft, instead of using the existing materials from the environment to fuel the spells it recomposes them within the caster's own body. This lowers the prana cost of spells cast using this method. Aside from its potent combat abilities this type of spell casting is also used for other purposes including methods to discern one's time of death.

Combat Spells:

Fiery Heavens: A Curse that manifests as a talisman that then detonates into a large pillar of fire at the caster's command.

Frigid Heavens: A Curse that manifests as a talisman that creates a large pillar of ice at the caster's command.

Merciful Sky: A Mantra that greatly increases the potency of spells used by the caster by approximately 400% of the original.

 **Divinty: B**

Due to Tamayo's soul being created from Amaterasu's and because of her being a unique facet of the sun Goddess herself, she has divinity equaling a God's. When Issei includes this card, a large portion of this divinity is transferred over to him.

 **Shapeshift: B**

Like all Kitsune, Tamamo No Mae was infamous for her ability to hide her form from others, eventually leading to her being hunted down and executed. This skill allows Issei to change his form into that of another or to alter his own appearance, however due to the reduced a rank he cannot hold the transformation indefinitely like Tamamo herself.

 **For those of you who wanted Berserker…don't worry he'll be making an appearance soon…real soon in fact. A couple of people are asking if more Class Cards will appear the answer is yes however I want your help, who do you want to see getting a Class Card and why (they can be from Nasuverse or DxD verse). Also should Issei get more cards?**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	6. Fallen Angel Has Nine Lives

**Hey guys sorry for the wait but I was sick and had to rewrite this chapter a couple of times, a sick brain creates all kind of stupid errors an example being Tsukuyomi. That wasn't intentional and I changed his gender as soon as it was pointed out to me, it's why I waited until I felt a bit better before uploading this chapter. Anyway if you see any stupid errors like that in this chapter let me know, I did edit it but as usual I expect myself to have missed things.**

 **Lastly a lot of people have said they don't want to see anyone else get Class Cards, so I'm thinking of scrapping that idea, since I can make OC arcs without them. However that will mean no Gilgamesh so yeah awe well. As for Issei getting additional cards, the only ones he will get from now (if any) will be from the classes he doesn't already have e.g. Avenger, Ruler etc.**

 **Question time:**

 **the DragonBard: I might added her later but not as the Saber class.**

 **Iskandar06: It's a surprise!**

 **Pltrgst: I actually didn't notice how many times I did that until you pointed it out…I'd imagine that insurance companies are beginning to raise their prices astronomically.**

 **RD: Don't worry I will.**

 **FateLover: I'm impressed that you got that reference, yeah I watch Red vs Blue it's a hilarious show. As for the Caster card…well just remember what her personality is like, plus her soul is made from a God's not human's…so maybe. Yeah Amaterasu will be fun to write especially when the Kyoto arc kicks off. As for the Divinity…that's an interesting idea…honestly I don't really know at the moment but it is possible.**

 **DestinyFriend: Indeed, bless Type-Moon for giving so many Servants to choose from, Raynare having B- rank luck actually makes a scary amount of sense…however as you said everyone's luck runs out at some point. Yeah I kind of agree about the immortality thing but I can see why Scáthach would hate it. I'm glad you liked that conversation with Morrigan, the DxD grail will most likely cause Issei and the Servants to go into 'panic kill the wielder!' mode. Indeed what will Amaterasu do? Who knows?**

 **Exis21: That's an awesome idea, and I can assure you that once Issei unlocks Balance Breaker the cards will definitely still play a major role. If you can think up any other suggestions about how the cards could be used let me know.**

 **Joking Guest: They don't have to be human to get a Class Card (note only one not multiple like Issei, for reasons that most of you have already guessed). The only restriction really is common sense for example; Beautiful Assassin was a Zealot of God so she couldn't be given to a Devil or Fallen, etc. You can suggest any class, it doesn't have to be any of the main seven. But like I said I'm probably scrapping the idea.**

 **Polar Wolfstar: That's a very good idea about Kiba and Arthur, I'll definitely add that to the possible cards used, if the idea is continued.**

 **cj1of4: You're going to love the later arcs and that's all I'll say.**

 **DragonSoul28: Yeah I know about Fate/Grand Order unfortunately it's not available in Australia (fucking Playstore). Still I did take a look at their Servants as well.**

 **LL: Sort of I can't really explain without spoiling stuff, as for Tamamo. Well considering what her personality is like…no comment.**

 **Yorae Rasante: Unfortunately Assassin has been chosen, sorry mate.**

 **TheAllSeeingEye: Nice, let's make Kiba goddamn unbeatable. I can see it now, "that's quite a nice Caliburn you got Arthur, I think I'll copy it." Seriously, though I'm trying to avoid EMIYA and Shirou since their so OP, so no giving that Class Card to Kiba.**

 **Laurence Wu: That is a very interesting idea, I like it.**

 **Squadpunk 2.0: Again, sort of, but not in the way people are probably thinking.**

 **Panzer4life: You are going to love the Excalibur arc.**

 **GreyMan19: If he was going to get any other cards then it wouldn't be any of the main classes as he already has those.**

 **Kinunatzs: Thanks for the heads up. As for Boosting the cards, who knows we'll just have to see won't we.**

 **FinalGuardian: You'll like this chapter…**

 **lord Rikudou: Maybe, I'll have to see how the story around the Shinto faction evolves first.**

 **blarg7865: I'd imagine Serafall's reaction would be to plunge Japan into a new Ice Age…**

 **Will Freed die? Let's find out…**

 **Shashenka: That's because he is, believe me Issei won't be able to go around using Berserker whenever he wants.**

 **Dlite12345: As of right now, EMIYA is not one of the cards that are going to be in this story, sorry mate.**

 **darkpiro9: Issei will still have Scale Mail as his Balance Breaker however the cards will begin to influence it as time goes on.**

 **Guest: Don't worry I can assure you the Riser arc will be interesting, since that's where things start going off the deep end.**

* * *

Lugh just laughed as he joined in the song, singing along with the other drinkers, their loud voices drowning out the storm raging outside the castle walls.

 _It is God who suffered them, though He restrained them,_

 _They landed with horror, with lofty deed,_

 _In their cloud of mighty combat of specters,_

 _Upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht._

 _Without distinction to discerning Ireland,_

 _Without ships, a ruthless course,_

 _The truth was not known beneath the sky of stars,_

 _Whether they were of heaven or of earth._

They all cheered as the song came to an end and more drinks were passed around the room before the God ducked under a thrown tankard. The flying mug sailing over his head and hit a drinker behind him, causing the God to get socked in the face by the drenched drinker.

A wide grin spread across his face as Lugh returned the punch and knocked the drinker off his feet, overturning a table and spilling the drinks of another group of merry-makers. The group cried in outrage before one of them grabbed a chair and smashed it over the Sun God's head, shattering the chair into wooden fragments.

Lugh just laughed in response as he picked up the man and threw him at the rest of his friends, knocking them all off their feet as the God ducked under another thrown bottle. By this time, the entire hall had devolved into their own personal bar fights as the staff just sighed, clearly used to this kind of behavior.

Grinning Lugh grabbed an empty bottle and smashed it over one of his attacker's head, knocking the man out as the bottle broke. One of the four remaining attackers grabbed another chair before throwing it at Lugh, who dodged to the side before snatching a still full tankard of ale and sculling it.

Giving a sigh of satisfaction Lugh blocked an incoming right cross to his chin before elbowing the man in the face, causing his opponent to fall to the ground unconscious as the Sun God stepped over his fallen body.

The other three piled on top of him as they tried to pin Lugh to the ground, only for the Sun God to simply stand up with the three hanging off his body. Lugh then smiled as he shook his body vigorously, like a dog, and sent the three men flying across the room before the landed on the floor with a groan.

"Having fun there Lugh?" asked an amused male voice.

The Sun God smiled as he recognized the voice and spun around to see a jolly looking man with a smirk on his face, "well if it isn't the Eochaid Ollathair himself. What brings you here Dagda? Come to grab a drink and join the fun? I'm good for a round two."

The smirk on Dagda's face dropped to a serious expression as he gestured for Lugh to take one of the few undamaged seats left, "not today Lugh, I think you know why I'm here."

Lugh just frowned in confusion as he sat down, "oh? And what would the leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann want with me?"

Dagda stared at him with a calculating expression, "I've heard some troubling rumors recently."

"Rumors?" repeated Lugh with a clueless look on his face.

Dagda nodded as he kept his gaze focused firmly on Lugh, "yes, apparently the Immortal Witch has left the Land of Shadows and is currently in the human world. Something that has not happened in centuries."

The Sun God laughed, "Ha! I did not think you would take stock in such things, are you sure you're not going senile in your old age Dagda? You know as well as I that if Scáthach had left the Otherworld then we would have sensed it."

Dagda eyes narrowed, "indeed we would have…unless she had help."

"And what makes you say that?" asked Lugh as he reached across the table for one of the still full tankards.

"The rumors say that she was seen talking to you and Morrigan before the two of them disappeared," replied Dagda, making Lugh pause before he starting cursing silently in his head.

"Are you insinuating something Dagda? Morrigan hasn't been here since she left. She's still on her vacation in the human world, you know that," replied the Sun God as he downed his drink.

"Yes, strange that she chose to tell only you of this before she left. I wasn't aware the two of you had gotten that close," commented Dagda.

"We're not exactly close but I'm one of the few among us that doesn't treat her like crap after the _incident_ , so we do talk occasionally," growled Lugh as he leveled a glare at his friend.

"I see, and what do these talks usually entail?" asked Dagda with raised eyebrows.

"Oh you know, reminiscing about better times, drinking ourselves to oblivion, the usual," laughed Lugh with a smile.

Dagda just sighed tiredly as he stared at his friend, "Lugh, what are you and Morrigan up to?"

"What makes you think I'm planning anything with Morrigan?" he asked with a frown.

"She has been gone in the human world on 'vacation' for an abnormally long time and has already missed one of our meetings," reasoned Dagda.

"Morrigan has always been like that Dagda, you should know that better than me. You know how she feels about politics, in fact I think that's one of her more redeeming qualities," mused the Sun God.

"True but she at least used to show up for our meetings, despite the hostility she got from the others. And she certainly wouldn't miss one because of some 'vacation,'" argued Dagda.

"So she finally got fed up with how they were treating her, I can't say I'm that surprised. You know how she is treated," Lugh replied, glaring at his friend.

Dagda just sighed under his friend's glare, "yes I'm aware, but I also know Morrigan wouldn't shirk her duty due to some hostile name calling, nor would she mask her presence from us just so she could 'enjoy her vacation undisturbed.'"

An amused grin spread across Lugh's face, "who knows how the mind of that woman works? Perhaps, she found a nice human to spend some time with? A way to let off some steam? We might have another demigod in the making."

Elsewhere a certain Goddess got the inexplicable desire to kill the Sun God.

"Don't think you can talk your way out of this one Lugh," frowned his friend.

"Like I said, I'm not trying to talk my way out of anything," responded Lugh with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I see, then this has nothing to do with the supposedly second Gae Bolg that Morrigan found?" questioned Dagda, causing Lugh to freeze momentarily.

"What makes you say that?" asked the Sun God.

"I just find it odd that Morrigan decided to go on 'vacation' immediately after it was discovered, and that she would neglect to tell us where this second Gae Bolg is," answered Dagda, his gaze still firmly fixed on Lugh.

The Sun God just shrugged, "what can we say? Morrigan does what she wants. Why do you think she'd tell me anything? You know that Morrigan and I don't often see eye to eye on things."

A frown spread across Dagda's face as he responded, "exactly you DON'T often see eye to eye, and so what makes this different Lugh? Why are you two working together, and with Scáthach of all people?"

"I told you we're not up to anything," sighed Lugh, beginning to sound like a broken record.

"There is only one common factor that is shared between the three of you and that's Cu Chulainn. No don't deny it Lugh, I'm not the only one who has made this connection," reasoned Dagda, causing the Sun God to look down at his empty mug.

"Lugh, what were you and Morrigan thinking?! You of all people should know how dangerous Scáthach is. Whether we like it or not, Scáthach is considered one of us by the outsiders, we don't need her causing an incident," growled Dagda angrily, while Lugh just said nothing in response.

"We don't have the luxury to be making enemies of the other Pantheons, let alone to be fighting amongst ourselves," he continued, drawing a groan from Lugh.

"This again? Dagda, the Fomorians are dead and gone. You're jumping at shadows that have long past," said the Sun God with a shake of his head.

Dagda just shook his head as he stood up from the table, "out of respect for you Lugh, I will let you and Morrigan play your little games. But understand this Lugh, if your little scheme gets out of hand…I swear that as leader of the Celts, I will personally put an end to it."

Lugh just watched as the Celtic God of Life headed towards the exit, only to pause at the door as he left, "oh and one more thing, I checked your vault and was surprised to find Gae Bolg missing. I wonder, why would the great Lugh ever part with his son's treasured spear? "

Now alone Lugh glanced up at the door as it shut before grabbing another drink and sighing, "I'm getting too old for this crap."

* * *

"Looks like he's coming around," commented a female voice.

"About time, he's been out for two whole hours," replied a different voice.

"What happened?" groaned Issei, struggling to sit up.

"Easy there, Issei. Your wounds aren't completely healed yet," warned Scáthach as she pushed him back down to the bed.

"Scáthach, Morrigan, what happened? Where am I?" he asked, weakly.

"That's what we want to know Issei. How did you manage to overlord the Rune necklace? The Boundary Field it generates should have been able to mask and contain more power than you could amass," questioned Scáthach as she pointed at the cracked necklace hanging around his neck.

"Oh so that's what it did. Why did you give it to me anyway?" replied the teen, curiously.

Morrigan just sighed, "Issei if other factions find out about those cards they will kill you, especially the Greeks."

The teen's face paled when he heard this, "what?! But why?"

"You're using artifacts of their champions without their permission, some of which have been lost for centuries. They will see that in two ways, as an insult or they will see you as a thief and hunt you down because of it," explained Morrigan.

Upon seeing the teen's horrified expression Scáthach smiled, "don't worry Issei it's still functioning, if only barely. As long as you don't draw the attention of people who are uniquely connected to the artifact you should be fine."

Much to the worry of the two Celts, Issei's expression just grew more concerned, "umm…Morrigan…quick question…does the Shinto Pantheon exist?"

The Goddess of Death slowly nodded with a frown, "indeed, we've had to hide our presence from them since we came to this country. Why?"

"Would they be able to sense an artifact being used, thanks to the damaged necklace?" asked Issei in concern.

The two Celts' eyes zeroed in on him, "Issei…what did you do?" asked Morrigan, reminding him of a scolding parent.

"Alright but you can't be mad at me," replied Issei.

"What. Did. You. Do?" repeated Morrigan, through gritted teeth.

"Okay first, I was minding my own business…" started the teen.

"Oh really?" scoffed the Goddess.

"I was!" he cried.

"And exactly what happened while you were 'minding your own business?'" interrogated the Goddess, while Scáthach just had a smile form on her face.

"So I was delivering Rias' message when I see a man murdered on the floor, suddenly I'm attacked by an insane exorcist and his Fallen Angels before they kidnap when one of my friends," reiterated Issei.

"I couldn't use Gae Bolg or Tauropolos so I tried my new card and…kind of burnt down the entire building," he admitted with a sheepish smile.

The Goddess just shook her head, "Issei why is it every time you fight a building is destroyed?"

"He definitely takes after me doesn't he?" said Scáthach with a proud smile, causing Morrigan to glare at her.

"Still property damage aside, how does this affect the Shinto Pantheon?" asked the Goddess.

"Well the Caster card contained Tamamo No Mae," replied Issei, only to get two confused looks from the Celts.

"Issei we're Celts, we don't know the lore behind the Shinto Faction," reminded Scáthach, making Issei give them an embarrassed smile.

"Right sorry, well Tamamo was a facet of the Shinto Sun God Amaterasu…and I kind of used her abilities to fight off the Fallen," he explained, drawing horrified expressions from the two Celts.

"A God's power being used by a human and in her own territory no less…it's no wonder the necklace cracked," murmured the witch.

"So they know about him?" questioned Morrigan with a frown.

Scáthach shook her head, "they know that something is in their territory, thankfully the necklace was still able to mask his location. I'll have to make a stronger necklace tomorrow."

"Good so can I go now? I have to rescue Asia," groaned Issei as he got up from the bed.

"Issei you're not going anywhere, you're still injured," scolded Morrigan.

The teen ignored her as he got to his feet, "if I don't do something, God knows what they'll do to her!"

"You don't even know where to start looking Issei, wait until your wounds have healed," reasoned the Goddess.

"It will be too late by then!" shouted Issei, only to cough as pain spread from his stomach.

Morrigan only sighed before she left the room, leaving Issei alone with the witch whom was staring at him with a confused expression on her face. Eventually Scáthach just sighed as she walked over to his drawers and a small knife appeared in her hand.

"You going to go anyway, aren't you?" she asked, with a frown as Issei nodded in reply.

"Rune Magic is a very useful thing, isn't it? I remember how surprised I was when I saw the ease at which my student picked it up. In fact he even had learnt obscure runes that most don't bother with, like the Rune of Searching," commented Scáthach, making Issei glance at her in confusion.

The witch just ignored the confused looks being sent her way and smiled as she broke off a piece of his wooden drawer, "that Rune is a funny one. Simply picture what you want it to find and it will hunt it down, be it an item, place…or person."

Scáthach then carved a rune into the piece of wood before she held it up for Issei to see as she continued explaining, "But it has a very limited range. However, after studying Rune Magic for years I developed a way to increase this range to a small town…almost the size Kuoh."

The witch then threw the piece of wood onto his bed as she began heading for the exit, right before she closed the door the witch gave him an amused smile. "Of course, you'd need to have knowledge on Rune Magic in order to use it," she finished and the door clicked shut.

Issei just looked at the door before a smile grew on his face as he picked up the piece of wood, "Include, Lancer."

Hearing this Scáthach just grinned in amusement before summoning Gae Bolg and heading for the door, only to be stopped by Morrigan once she reached downstairs. "Where are you going?" questioned the Goddess with a suspicious look on her face.

"Just for an enthusiastic walk around town," replied Scáthach with a grin.

"Armed with Gae Bolg?" commented Morrigan, raising her eyebrows.

The witch's grin just widened, "a _very_ enthusiastic walk."

"Why did you let him go? He is in no condition to fight," sighed Morrigan, glaring at the witch.

Scáthach just nodded, "true but short of holding him hostage in his own home, there is nothing we could do to stop him."

"And if he gets himself killed? What then?" growled the Goddess.

The witch just fixed her with a deadpan expression before she pushed past Morrigan and continued onto the door, only to pause and turn back to the Goddess with an amused expression on her face. "You know I never thought that one of the Tuatha Dé Danann would be so dishonorable. Or did you forget the oath you made to Issei's father?" she asked, before shutting the door behind her.

Morrigan stood in the silent room, only to growl in frustration as she summoned an ebony spear and followed the witch.

* * *

"Where's a shitty Devil when you need one," groaned Freed as he sat in one of the many pews in the main foyer of the church.

Still at least this was better than simply sitting downstairs and watching them kill that damned witch, after all there was always a chance that kid could show up for a round two. A grin spread across his face at the thought of a rematch, he still needed to payback that shitty mage for the burns to his face.

The exorcist's thoughts of revenge were interrupted as he felt something small slam into the back of his head, causing Freed to growl angrily as he picked up what had hit him. Examining it in the dim light Freed noticed it appeared to be some piece of wooden debris, 'this shitty church really is falling apart.'

The exorcist was about to throw the piece of wood away in anger when he caught sight of something carved onto one side of it. Frowning he brought it over to a nearby candle and examined it in the dim light, noting what appeared to be some kind of symbol or rune carved onto its surface. "What the hell is this shitty thing?" he growled, only to hear the locked double doors of the church get kicked down.

Spinning around Freed saw Issei walk in with Gae Bolg held in one hand, "honey, I'm home," smirked the teen.

"Well if it isn't the shitty mage, I was just thinking about you," grinned Freed as he drew his gun and sword.

"Sorry but I don't swing that way," replied Issei as he glared at the exorcist and they began to approach each other.

"Here to save your little witch friend? How romantic," teased the exorcist as the two fighters heard the clap of thunder before the sound of rain hitting the roof echoed throughout the otherwise silent chamber.

"You're confident, facing me on your own like this," noted the teen as he searched the room for any hidden enemies.

Freed just laughed hysterically, "they're all downstairs with the witch, besides as if I'd let them interfere. You and I have got a score to settle."

"Get out of my way Freed and I might let you live, I've got bigger things to worry about," ordered the teen with another glare.

Freed plastered a fake thoughtful expression on his face before shaking his head with a smirk, "tempting but I'll pass. Oh I know! Once I kill you I'll have some fun with that witch's body, I won't be able to hear her scream but it should still be entertaining don't you think?"

Issei said nothing as he glared at Freed in anger, his pupils becoming narrow slits as his iris' started glowing orange, making the exorcist's grin widened as he activated the light sword, "yes that's better. That's the killing intent I wanted to see. Hey Issei-kun, will you marry me?"

Again, there was no response as the two fighters just glared at each other, the only sound filling the room coming from the droplets of rain leaking through the roof. As if an unspoken signal had been decided, the minute they heard the water droplet hit the floor, both fighters started rushing towards the other.

Freed fired his gun as the exorcist charged Issei, the trio of bullets all rapidly approaching different vital areas of the teen's body. Issei didn't stop his advance though, he didn't even slow down. Instead, the teen spun Gae Bolg in front of him as he approached, the spear hitting and deflecting the blessed bullets before they could reach their targets.

Eyes widening Freed leapt into the air, passing over Issei before spinning around and slashing the teen across his back. However, instead of a cry of pain all Freed heard was a loud clang reverberate through the empty church halls as Issei quickly twisted his body in a half turn, allowing Gae Bolg's shaft to block the strike at his spinal cord.

Freed wasn't deterred however as he brought his gun up to Issei's face while Gae Bolg was still caught on his light sword. Growling as the barrel of the gun was pointed towards his head, Issei kneed the exorcist in the gut before slamming the shaft of Gae Bolg in a downwards stroke that smashed into Freed's head. Crying out the exorcist was sent flying backwards, crashing through three layers of pews before rolling to the side as Issei appeared above him with his spear ready to pierce Freed's rotten heart.

Jumping back to his feet the exorcist fired at Issei again, only to see the same result as the first time, 'how the hell is he doing that? He shouldn't even be able to see those bullets let alone track them.' Freed kept firing his pistol at Issei in the hopes of getting a lucky shot but was frustrated when he saw Issei deflect each bullet, suddenly they both heard the familiar sound of the gun clicking empty.

Smiling Issei immediately leapt towards Freed with Gae Bolg eagerly stabbing at the exorcist's chest, not giving Freed a chance to reload his pistol as he was forced onto the defensive. The exorcist struggled to hold back Issei's assault as Gae Bolg began to greedily draw blood with every successful hit, causing pain to spread throughout Freed's body.

In desperation the exorcist threw his empty pistol at Issei, catching the teen off balance as he knocked the impromptu missile aside with his spear, only to for his eyes to widen as he saw Freed's light sword slashing towards his head. Unable to completely dodge the attack, even with the speed provided by the Lancer Include. Issei leaned back as far as he could and watched with a grimace as the light sword passed over his eyes and carved a shallow cut along his forehead.

Seeing his compromising position Freed smiled before he sweep kicked the teen's feet from under him, sending Issei crashing to the ground. The teen saw Freed approaching and tried to bring Gae Bolg up to block the incoming sword, only to find his spear caught underneath one of the pews. Unable to get Gae Bolg out fast enough Issei instead let go of the spear and used both his hands to grab the exorcist's wrist, halting the light sword just above his neck.

 **[BOOST!]**

As the Boosted Gear appeared on his arm Issei was able to use his newly doubled strength to push the light sword back and towards the exorcist. The two were now caught in a deadlock as Freed tried to overpower him and slice through his neck before Issei could Boost again.

Issei had to close one eye as he felt blood from his forehead wound trickle down into his eye, making a smile come to the teen's face as an idea formed. Placing a hand on his forehead Issei then removed the bloodied hand and quickly drew a rune on the exorcist's arm with his own blood. Freed tried to move his arm away but he was still trapped in the deadlock and couldn't do anything but watch as the rune on his arm began to glow a deep crimson red.

Suddenly the exorcist's entire arm was engulfed in flames as the Rune of Fire activated, causing Freed to scream in pain as he quickly withdrew his sword from Issei's neck. Grabbing Gae Bolg, Issei immediately leapt to his feet and turned around to see Freed put out the fire on his arm, by sticking it in the church's holy water.

"You know for a priest, you're not too good at that whole 'must not sacrilege stuff,'" teased Issei.

Freed smirked as his burnt arm now hung limply beside him, making Issei frown as the exorcist placed his sword in his other hand, "you shitty mage, you've already lost."

"What do you mean?" replied the teen.

Freed's smirk just grew, "what do you think the others were doing while we were fighting? By now they should have removed that witch's Sacred Gear, in short YOU LOSE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

[Partner, one of the only ways to remove a Sacred Gear is to kill the original wielder.]

Upon hearing this Issei glared at the exorcist as Gae Bolg began glowing a baleful red, "I didn't want to use this on you. A quick death is too good for someone like you, but it seems I'm short on time."

Feeling the bloodlust that began filling the room, the exorcist's smile dropped as for the first time a look of fear appeared on his face. The exorcist just stood frozen as he saw Issei's brown hair seemed to turn a shade of blue, while the teen's glowing orange iris' shone out among the darkened room.

" **Gae-** " came out the call as the room became lit by the ominous red glow from the spear.

Freed just watched as Issei thrust his spear forward, his voice sounding as if two were speaking as one, " **BOLG!** "

The Noble Phantasm flew straight towards the exorcist's heart, like a hungry dog that had just been let off its leash. Freed tried to use his sword to intercept the red glowing projectile. The white light of his sword briefly met the crimson glow of Gae Bolg, only for the light blade to shatter as the Noble Phantasm continued on course.

The exorcist's eyes widened into an expression of shock as the spear pierced his heart before coughing up blood and collapsing to the ground. Issei just grasped Gae Bolg as the spear returned to his outstretched hand, his eyes returning to normal and his hair losing its blue colour.

Not giving the corpse a second glance Issei ran down the stairs to find himself in a large underground cavern with some sort of structure housed in the middle of the room. His eyes widened as he spotted Asia hanging off the top of the structure, surrounded by over a hundred chanting exorcists with Raynare watching him next to Asia.

"So that noise upstairs was you after all, you really are a stubborn boy aren't you," she commented in a condescending tone.

"Give Asia back, NOW!" he demanded, causing the chanting exorcists to stop as everyone turned to look at him in disbelief.

Raynare just snorted as he saw two silver rings form on her fingers, "if you want her so bad then fine, we're done with her anyway."

With that announcement the Fallen Angel grabbed the nun and smirked before she dropped her, seeing this Issei rushed forward as he leapt into the air and caught her falling body. Landing with a painful groan Issei panted in exhaustion as Gae Bolg reverted back to its card form, the teen too exhausted to keep it manifested.

"Asia? Asia! Are you okay," cried the teen.

The nun weakly opened her eyes before nodding her head slowly, causing Issei to embrace her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry Asia, if I hadn't let them take you. If I hadn't taken so long to get to you then none of this would have happened."

Asia just gave the teen a sad smile as she gripped his hand with her own, "don't worry Issei…it's not your fault."

" _Don't worry Issei…it's not your fault," smiled his mother before her hand slipped from his grip and collapsed to the ground._

"Hurry up and die already," ordered Raynare.

Issei was snapped out of his memories as he saw a light spear suddenly pierce Asia in the chest, making the nun cough up blood as she continued to stare up at him in confusion, "huh? It hurts…it really hurts."

"Issei are you still there? I can't see you. It's getting dark, I can't see anything…" asked Asia fearfully.

"Don't worry Asia I'm still here and I'm not leaving you," assured Issei as he lightly squeezed her hand.

A happy smile then spread across the nun's face, "thank goodness. Hey Issei? Do you think we can be friends?"

Tears started streaming down Issei's face as he nodded his head, "of course we can, in fact after this I'll take care of you. I'll teach you to read and write, how to eat a cheeseburger and we can have fun together just like last time…so please…don't go..."

Asia just gave Issei's hands a gentle squeeze, "don't worry Issei even if everything's dark, I'm not scared as long as you're with me. With you next to me like this, I don't have to worry. Because you'll always take care of me."

"You were the first person that was ever kind to me Issei, thank you. I just wish we could have spent more time together," commented the nun, wistfully.

"Hey Issei?" coughed Asia, softly.

"What is it Asia?" asked the teen.

Issei watched with tear filled eyes as Asia's image was combined with that of an albino girl wearing a purple dress as they both gave the same sad smile in unison and said, "It's kind of cold, isn't it…"

Asia's hand then slipped from his grip as Issei just sat there, staring at her body as it slowly stopped breathing, "no not again, not again DAMN IT! Asia wake up, ASIA!"

"Asia! ASIA!" shouted Issei as he shook her unmoving body, only to hear the sound of condescending laughter coming from Raynare.

"Oh looks like you failed after all, such a shame. But with her Sacred Gear not even you can beat me," gloated the Fallen Angel.

As Issei looked at Asia's body he felt something he'd never experienced before as he sensed his hand instinctively going towards the cardholder, a pure unrelenting rage. Hearing Raynare still laughing arrogantly he growled and turned to her, neither caring nor noticing that her image started changing to that of a blonde man as more and more red hot rage began burning through his body.

'She killed her! **He killed her!** Asia! **Ilya!** Raynare! **Gilgamesh!** **I'll** make **you** pay! **I** will **kill** you!' Issei's head began aching as memories of a smiling albino girl mixed with that of Asia as the rage continued to course throughout his body.

The teen began trembling as he stood up and faced the woman with a rage-filled expression, "that was a mistake…"

"Why is that? Because you've got no one left to die for?" scoffed Raynare confidently as, once again, the image of the arrogant blonde was super imposed over her.

"No," growled the teen as he pulled out a glowing card from the holder and caused a violent atmosphere to begin to fill the chamber. "Because now, I've got no reason to hold back."

"Oh please, you're injured, exhausted, outnumbered and outgunned. Even if you have a Longinus and Gae Bolg, you must realize that you've lost. Out of respect for the Celts, I'll let you leave without harm if you turn away now," offered Raynare with a smug smile.

Issei didn't answer and everyone in the chamber took a step back as they saw the card's glow begin to grow brighter, the teen's Rune necklace gaining more cracks until it appeared to resemble a spider web. The minute the necklace cracked, they all felt an overwhelming power and rage emanating off the teen and everyone had a shiver run down their spines as Issei was engulfed in the card's light.

"I'm going to make you all pay Raynare, none of you are leaving this place alive," promised Issei as his rage filled voice echoed across the now silent chamber. " **Include, Berserker!"**

* * *

An old man suddenly froze as he stared at the earth beneath the clouds, "brother, what's wrong?" asked the well-built elderly man next to him.

"It's nothing Poseidon, I just thought I felt something familiar. Never mind I need to go check on that idiot descendant of my son," replied his brother, walking away.

Poseidon frowned, his brother had never cared for his son's descendants before, why the sudden unexpected change.

"Honestly, first it was Artemis and Apollo acting odd but now it's Zeus himself, just what is going on around here," he sighed before walking off.

* * *

The light finally died down and everyone in the chamber saw Issei holding a large stone axe-sword that was easily his height in length, a murderous aura surrounding the teen as he slowly advanced. The floor shaking and the tiles cracking beneath his feet with every step he took as Issei kept his gaze focused solely on Raynare.

The Fallen Angel felt a shudder run down her spine as she shouted, "What are you all waiting for? Kill him!"

With her shout everyone snapped out of their fear induced state and readied their light weapons while the few magic casters they had, began chanting their spells. The entire underground cavern was lit up brighter than the sun as hundreds of weapons and spells were pointed at Issei, however the teen didn't seem worried by this as he just continued his slow approach.

"You cocky idiot! Now you die!" gloated the Fallen Angel.

Issei showed no concern as his vision was blinded by the light of the incoming attacks from his opponents, as if the very heavens themselves had descended on the lone teen. The entire building shook as the attacks landed, engulfing Issei in an explosion that tore the very earth beneath them to shreds and caused his opponents to laugh at the teen's foolishness.

"He didn't even try to dodge, how dumb can a human be," muttered Raynare with a shake of her head as she started to descend back to the ground.

The Fallen Angel just stared at the crater and the unmoving body of Issei who was laying in the middle of it with his axe-sword still gripped in his hand. 'At the end of the day, he was nothing but a lowly human after all,' thought the Raynare as she turned and headed for the exit.

"No way!" gasped a horrified voice.

"That's not possible!" exclaimed another.

Hearing this Raynare frowned as she saw the exorcists staring at something behind her in shock. " **Raynare!"** roared a loud voice and the Fallen Angel froze at the rage contained in that one word.

Slowly turning around Raynare blinked as her mouth dropped open at the sight that greeted her, standing in the middle of the smoking crater was Issei, completely unharmed and glaring at her. "N-no way," she gasped as Issei jumped out of the crater, causing the ground to crack as he landed.

" **Raynare!** " he roared again and caused the Fallen Angel in question to back away slightly.

"Damn it, attack him already!" screamed Raynare as she summoned her own light spear.

The rest of the Stray Exorcists did the same with their own weapons before the melee attackers charged the teen en masse, intending to overwhelm Issei with their numbers. Issei didn't even glance at them as he lifted his axe-sword into the air before bringing it crashing down on the floor in front of him. The force from the blow knocking the exorcists off their feet and causing debris from the floor to rain down on them, injuring or killing most of the attackers.

The few that didn't die growled in anger as they entered close range and started attacking Issei, again the teen didn't show any reaction as the light swords came sailing towards him. The first sword wielding exorcist swung his blade in a decapitating swing at Issei's neck while another two went to stab him in the chest and a fourth tried to cut off his axe-sword wielding arm. The last two exorcists just stood back and waited for an opening to reveal itself.

Everyone expected to see the light swords sink into the teen's flesh, everyone expected to see the teen fall over dead with the victorious exorcists standing over him…everyone was wrong.

Instead, there was a low growl of frustration from Issei as, to the shock of everyone in the room, the light swords simply bounced off his skin. Before any of the attacking exorcists could react the axe-sword in the teen's hand carved the two that attacked his chest in half. As the two bisected corpses fell to the ground Issei kicked the exorcist that tried to cut off his arm in the chest, hearing the bones in the exorcist's rib cage break as he was sent flying across the room and collapsed to the ground.

The fourth exorcist finally recovered from his shock and this time tried to attack Issei's eyes, trying to find a weakness in this apparently armoured skin. However, Issei just growled again as he grabbed the exorcist by his priest clothes.

" **You're in the way!** " he snarled before hurling the man across the room and into his fellow exorcists, killing the man and some of his friends from the impact.

The last two exorcists just looked at each other in shock before they both ran at the teen with hate-filled expressions on their faces, their anger over their dead comrades overriding what common sense they had. Issei just grabbed the two by their heads before slamming them into the concrete floor, causing the two exorcists to stop moving instantly.

The rest of the exorcists opened fire with spells and blessed bullets as they saw Issei begin slowly walking towards them again. Once again, the teen faced the oncoming onslaught with nothing but annoyance on his face as he kept walking towards his target. This time the exorcists could clearly see their bullets ricocheting off the teen's skin, and while the spells appeared to hit they seemed to have no effect at all as Issei continued unencumbered towards them.

"No way, he's not human," murmured one of the exorcists fearfully.

'Damn it, somehow he's immune to our attacks,' thought Raynare in anger before her eyes came to rest on the support pillars and a smile grew on her face. "Everyone aim for the support pillars, if we can't damage him normally then we'll just crush him under debris," ordered the Fallen Angel.

The exorcists nodded and immediately started breaking each of the pillars, causing the ceiling to shake with each one. Seeing Issei about to pass one of the pillars Raynare smiled before she threw her spear at it, causing the pillar to come collapsing on top of him and throwing dust and dirt into the air.

The Fallen Angel breathed a sigh of relief while the rest of the exorcists cheered as their opponent finally succumbed to their might, only for the cheer to die in their throats as they saw the pillar begin to move. No one said a word as they watched the stone pillar get lifted up and thrown aside as the teen emerged from underneath it, 'he's not even using Boosted Gear, he can't be that strong!' thought the Fallen.

" **I'm coming for you, Raynare** ," growled the teen and both the Fallen and exorcists briefly saw a hulking monstrosity of a man appear behind Issei as he approached them.

"H-he's a monster," cried an exorcist before the man turned and ran for the exit.

"Get back here!" snarled Raynare, whom quickly threw her spear into the fleeing exorcist.

The fleeing man fell to the ground dead but it was too late, the damage had been done. Like a pebble signaling an approaching avalanche, more fearful mutterings began as the exorcist's morale finally broke.

"If anyone else runs I'll kill them personally," threatened Raynare as she realized how dangerous her situation had just become.

The exorcists were silent as they looked between her and the monster slowly approaching them, silently judging where their best chance of survival lay. It was an obvious choice really, as one the humans broke ranks and fled for their lives to the exit, leaving Raynare at the teen's mercy.

"You deserters! Azazel will hear of this!" yelled the Fallen Angel as she tried to follow them, only to find Issei standing between her and the exit.

A satisfied grin spread across Issei's face, " **I've got you now.** "

'How the hell did he move there so fast!' wondered Raynare as she summoned another spear before healing her wounds with her newly acquired Sacred Gear. As Issei saw this his smile dropped as he stabbed his axe-sword into the ground and another rage filled expression crossed his face.

" **You dare use her power! You dare to use it in front of me! You dare taint her gift like that! I'LL KILL YOU!** " he roared in fury before she felt the murderous aura surrounding him skyrocket.

The next thing the she knew was intense pain as Issei grabbed her by the head before slamming the Fallen Angel into the jagged remains of the floor beneath them. Raynare cried out as she felt a piece of the floor jab into her stomach, only to feel herself get lifted up again and thrown across the room.

Healing herself as best she could with her Sacred Gear, Raynare hissed in pain as she got herself up from the ground and watched as Issei began walking towards her. The Fallen Angel just backed up before she pumped all her energy into her light spear, which started glowing with energy that was barely being restrained by the spear.

"Feel honored human, this is the first time I've had to use my trump card on someone. Now prepare to face the wrath of a Fallen of the Grigori!" snarled Raynare as she charged Issei with the glowing spear.

As the spear hit there was a blinding flash of light that enveloped the two fighters, causing the underground cavern to shake as the last support pillar left began to crack and debris was thrown everywhere. As the light died down Raynare's bestial snarl dropped into a horrified expression as she saw Issei holding her spear with one hand.

The teen gave another low growl as he began to squeeze and Raynare watched as her spear gave a metallic screech and cracks started forming before the spear shattered, unleashing the energy that was still coursing through the weapon and knocking Raynare backwards.

Groaning Raynare got to her feet as she heard Issei pick up his axe-sword from the ground as he approached, fearfully shuddering as she saw her death now getting closer. As she watched him approach the Fallen Angel's eyes came to rest on the last support pillar as a desperate idea came to mind, 'I'm dead either way, at least this one has a better chance of survival.'

Summoning her spear she confidently began walking towards the teen in order to get closer to the exit that was still being blocked by Issei, positioning her body so that she was in front of the last pillar. Raynare then took a deep breath before she put a smug grin on her face, "you really did care for that girl didn't you? Then you'll love this."

"Before we killed her, I let Freed have his way with the little witch," announced the Fallen Angel as Issei just froze before he began trembling again.

" **RAYNARE!** " yelled the teen furiously before Issei rushed towards her, making the ground shake with his every step.

She just stared at the oncoming berserker with a smile on her face. Waiting right until Issei was about to hit her, Raynare suddenly dived to the side as the teen crashed into the last support pillar, causing it to break and setting off a chain reaction throughout the building. Seeing her plan succeed Raynare quickly sprinted towards the exit as she heard Issei roar in fury again and felt the roof of the underground cavern begin to cave in.

The Fallen Angel quickly rushed out of the abandoned church as the building shook before collapsing in on itself. Breathing a sigh of relief as the teen was buried under tons of earth and rubble, Raynare looked around to find the rest of her surviving minions, ready to kill the deserters for abandoning her. However as she turned around the Fallen Angel stopped in shock at the sight that greeted her, all around Raynare were the dead bodies of the deserters.

"Well looks like we got another one, a Fallen by the looks of her. You want this one or should I take it?" asked a female voice.

Raynare quickly glanced towards the nearby gate to see two females lying down on the steps outside the main building. Both were armed with spears and one was wearing purple leather armour while the other was wearing black.

"I wouldn't recommend it Morrigan, something tells me that Issei will want to deal with this one personally," replied the purple one.

"If you say so Scáthach," sighed Morrigan as she stood up from the ground.

"Who are you? You're interfering with Grigori business, I demand you leave at once unless you wish to pick a fight with us," growled Raynare as she summoned a light spear.

"You see funny thing about that, that boy is under our protection. Meaning this is now Celtic business, I wonder how Azazel will take to hearing this," replied Morrigan as she glared at the Fallen Angel.

"What Azazel doesn't know won't hurt him and once I kill you two then the secret will be safe with me," grinned Raynare as she threw a spear at the purple armoured warrior, only to see Scáthach deflect the incoming projectile with her own spear.

Scáthach then just laughed as she let a fraction of her power leak out, instantly making Raynare pale before the Fallen Angel leapt into the air and rushed towards the city, intending to flee as fast as she could. She barely made it more than a few feet before Scáthach threw her spear at the Fallen's wings and sending Raynare crashing back to the ground.

"Just because we won't kill you doesn't mean we're going to let you go," commented Morrigan as they walked over to the downed Fallen Angel.

Raynare just met her glare with a smug smile, "well sorry Celts but I'm afraid you failed. That bastard child of Cu Chulainn is dead."

The two Celts glared at her before Scáthach grabbed Raynare by the neck and the Fallen sensed more power beginning to leak off the witch. "If Issei didn't want to kill you himself, I would personally drag you into the Land of Shadows for such an insult," growled the witch as she placed her spear against Raynare's chest.

"Enough Scáthach!" ordered Morrigan as the witch dropped the Fallen to the ground. "You said he's dead but I'm afraid you're mistake Fallen. Issei is very much alive."

"Impossible he's crushed under tons of rubble, I made sure of it!" spat Raynare.

Scáthach burst into laughter, "you dropped a building on him? Is that all? Trust me, if he's anything like Cu Chulainn then you've only delayed the inevitable."

Suddenly all three of them felt the ground beneath them shake, "looks like he'll be here soon," commented Morrigan.

Raynare just looked at her in shock as the ground began shaking more violently and they heard the sound of rubble moving near the remains of the collapsed church. Suddenly debris exploded outwards as a loud announcement filled the air, making Raynare fearfully try get up from the ground, only for Scathach's spear to pin her to the earth.

 **[BOOST!]**

The three of them then saw a red clawed gauntlet emerge from the newly made hole and stab an axe-sword into the ground as Issei pulled himself up from the rubble, carrying Asia's body cradled in his arms. Upon seeing the two Celts, Issei gave them a nod before he gently placed Asia's body on the ground.

" **Raynare** ," growled the teen as he approached and the Fallen Angel stared at him silently, realizing that her death was all but assured.

"What happened to Freed?" she asked, trying to stall for time.

" **Don't worry you'll be joining him soon** ," informed the teen as he lifted his giant axe-sword high in the air and in that moment Issei was once again replaced by the hulking Berserker that she saw earlier. " **Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads!** "

For a brief moment Raynare was confused as she felt the axe-sword hit her body in nine places at the same time. The moment of confusion only lasted a second though, before her brain realized that the body was dead and began shutting down.

Issei just stared at the dead body of Raynare before he felt the rage finally begin to dissipate and took deep breaths as the axe-sword glowed and turned back into the Berserker card. Quickly running back to Asia's body he gently shook her, praying that she would open her eyes.

"Issei I'm sorry but your friend's soul is passing into the Path of Death," informed the Goddess with a sad understanding look on her face.

"Then perhaps I can be of help?" announced a male voice.

"I was wondering when you'd reveal yourself," commented Scáthach as she picked up her spear from Raynare's corpse.

"You knew I was here?" asked a dark green haired male as he emerged from hiding behind a chimney before flying down to meet them, revealing his Devil wings.

"Of course we did, you're not the best at hiding your demonic signature, now why are you here? You're not a member of those two other Devil's peerages," questioned Morrigan with a suspicious look on her face.

The boy nodded, "indeed, my name is Diodora Astaroth, heir to the Astaroth clan and brother to Beelzebub. As for why I'm here, I came to rescue my dear Asia. Unfortunately it appears I was too late."

"You know Asia?" replied Issei.

Diodora nodded, "indeed, I was the Devil that she healed. When I heard that she had been taken by the Fallen Angels I rushed to find her and rescue her from those damned crows."

"I take offence to that," muttered Morrigan with a deadpan expression.

Ignoring the Goddess' remark Issei looked at Diodora with a hopeful smile on his face, "you said you could help her…does that mean…"

The Devil nodded with a smile, "correct I have an Evil Piece left unclaimed."

A suddenly hostile atmosphere filled the area as Issei and Diodora turned to see Morrigan and Scáthach glaring at the Devil. "Leave now Devil and take those abominations you call Evil Pieces with you," growled the Goddess of Death.

"Morrigan, Scáthach what are you doing?! He can save Asia!" cried Issei as he jumped to his feet.

Both Celts gained a dark expressions as they turned to him, "so you would condemn your friend to a life of slavery?" asked Scáthach.

"She would be my servant, not slave," argued Diodora.

"Call it what you will Devil, the result is still the same," growled Morrigan.

"So you would rather she just die!" replied Issei in outrage.

"Issei," said Scáthach, drawing the teen's attention and making him flinch under her unyielding gaze. "Say he resurrects her as a Devil, what happens next?"

"I'll look after her!" shouted the teen.

The immortal witch slowly walked over Issei until they were inches apart, her deep red eyes burrowing into his, "and what happens when you die?"

"What do you mean?" asked Issei with a frown.

"Devils have an extremely long lifetime, often reaching into the thousands of years. So what happens when you're nothing but ashes and dust?" replied Scáthach.

The witch then broke eye contact as she stared at Asia's body with a sad expression on her face, "she will be left in solitude, all alone, unable to even pray to her God for comfort, simply waiting for death to claim her."

"Scáthach?" frowned Issei as the hostility left his eyes and he stared at the witch who then turned back to face him, shocking the teen as he saw the deep sadness hidden behind those crimson orbs.

"That is no mercy Issei, that is a torture," she finished with complete certainty in her voice.

The teen just looked between Asia's body and Scáthach before he sighed and knelt down to close the nun's eyes, "sorry Asia, looks like I won't be able to take care of you after all. I'm a pretty terrible friend aren't I?"

Tears fell down his cheeks as Issei turned back to the Devil, "sorry Diodora but I'm going to refuse your offer."

"WHAT?! YOU'D JUST LET HER DIE? WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU?" snarled the Devil.

"Please Diodora…just go," asked Issei, softly.

The Devil just gained an angry expression as he pushed Issei away from the nun's body and grabbed an odd looking chest piece, "fine I don't need your permission anyway."

However before he had moved more than an inch, Diodora felt something hit him in the chest and was sent flying into the brick wall of a nearby building, cracking the bricks upon impact. Groaning the Devil got back to his feet to see Scáthach glaring at him as she stood protectively between him and Issei, Gae Bolg ready to claim another life.

"You heard him Devil, leave now or I will take matters into my own hands," growled the witch as she fixed him with a stare that promised nothing but death.

"H-how dare you! I'll have you know that my older brother is Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Maou! One of the strongest among us Devils, you wouldn't dare touch me," informed Diodora, bringing a fearful look to Morrigan's face as she stared at Scáthach.

The witch just had a scarily grin on her face as she stared at the Devil, "so your brother is strong, is he?" she asked, curiously.

"He is considered a Super-class Devil, his power even exceeds the original four Maou! In fact the only other Devil to be in this class is Sirzechs Lucifer himself," boasted Diodora, making Morrigan pale as she realized what would happen next.

Scáthach just disappeared in a blur of movement before she reappeared in front of the Devil, Gae Bolg resting above his heart, "that's good I've been looking for a strong opponent…you brother sounds promising."

Gae Bolg suddenly began glowing with a crimson light as the spear began releasing its bloodlust, causing Diodora to fearfully look at Scathach's excited expression, "if I kill his younger brother then the Maou is sure to fight me, isn't he?"

Morrigan swallowed fearfully as she realized that there was no stopping the witch now, and there was no way the Devils would take to the killing of one of their Maou's siblings lightly. 'A war between the Celts and Devils, all because of her. Looks like Lugh was right about Scáthach after all, damn it!' raged the Goddess, as she watched what would be the catalyst of the next great supernatural war.

"Scáthach, stop," ordered a male voice.

Everyone turned back to see Issei picking himself up from the ground as he walked over to the witch, "Scáthach enough blood has been spilt this day without you adding more just to pick fights, let him go."

Scáthach stared at the teen with a frown, "Scáthach…please…just let him go, we have to bury Asia anyway," pleaded Issei sadly.

Morrigan just watched in complete shock as Scáthach looked between Issei and the Devil before she sighed and the crimson light from Gae Bolg died down. Removing her spear from Diodora's chest the witch backed up as the bloodlust surrounding the area disappeared. 'No way…the Immortal Witch abandoning a fight, that's…that's…a miracle,' thought the Goddess as her jaw dropped, making Scáthach and Issei give her confused expressions.

"I'll remember this Celts," hissed Diodora before a magic circle appeared beneath him and he teleported away.

"Hopefully he brings his brother next time," mused the witch, wishfully.

As the near crisis was averted Morrigan finally snapped back to the present as she saw Issei standing over Asia's body motionlessly and frowned. She could do it, after all the teen just averted a war because of her, so she did owe him, even if he did it unknowingly.

Her decision made Morrigan sighed as she began charging up her reserves of power, drawing the attention of Scáthach, whose eyes narrowed as the Goddess began approaching Issei. "Morrigan, she's been dead for too long…unless…you plan to use that, don't you?" frowned Scáthach as her companion nodded.

"Morrigan are you sure about this? You know this will blow our cover, and Dagda will not be happy," warned Scáthach as the Goddess walked up to Asia's dead body.

The Goddess of Death just sighed and nodded, "I'm aware but I know how it feels to let a loved one die, I don't want the kid to feel that, besides I owe him now."

Upon hearing this, the crying Issei looked up at Morrigan in confusion before he felt Scáthach drag him away from Asia's body, unable to do anything but watch as the witch dragged him to a safe distance. Feeling her hand let go, Issei struggled to his feet, only for Scáthach to push him back to the ground, "trust me Issei, its better if you're not standing for this."

The teen was about to respond when he froze in fear, his legs going weak and his body trembling as an aura of Death filled the area. Swallowing shallowly Issei turned to find the source of this aura, only to see Morrigan glowing a deep black as raven feathers began sprouting from her flesh.

" **By the power of the trinity Goddess of the Tuatha De Danann, in the name of Badb, Macha and Anand, I demand passage through the Pathways of Life and Death** ," intoned the Goddess, her voice resonating power and sounding as if three people were speaking at once.

Suddenly the ground shook as Issei saw a massive doorway erupt from the earth, giving off a very chilling aura that pressed down on the human and nearly knocked him unconscious. Fighting off the effects as best he could, Issei examined the doorway and found it looked to be made entirely from what seemed like silver branches.

"W-what is that?" he asked, fearfully.

"It is the doorway to the World of Incarnations, the world that governs both Life and Death, the entrance to the Path of Death and the Path of Life," explained Scáthach as they both saw a small light begin to form in the doorway.

" **The Goddess who cast away Fertility, Sovereignty and her connection to the very Earth itself. The Goddess who exchanged them all for Death, Destruction, Strife, Fate and War. The Goddess who was once three and became one, now opens the Passage to her Domain** ," chanted Morrigan, her voice getting louder by the second.

The two observers just watched as the light forming in the doorway suddenly grew until it covered the entire archway before turning to a deep black. It almost reminded Issei of a black hole as he stared into its fathomless depths, only to snap out of his trance as he felt Scáthach shake him slightly.

"What's going on?" he asked the immortal witch.

"She's reincarnating your friend," informed Scáthach.

"She's reviving Asia?!" exclaimed Issei hopefully.

" **By my authority, hear me wandering soul. The Path of Death is now closed to you, hear the call of The Morrigan and by my command return to the Path of Life** ," called the Goddess and Issei saw what looked like two silver rings fade into existence around Asia's fingers as the Goddess lifted the body in her arms.

Scáthach just frowned as she watched this, "in a manner of speaking, yes. Your friend had been dead too long for her normal methods to work, so instead she's changing your friend's pre-determined reincarnation pattern and returning her soul to the World of the Living, essentially letting her 'skip the que' so to speak."

Morrigan then carried the body over to the silver branch doorway before placing Asia's body inside the portal, causing Issei to fall to the ground from the power now pressing down on him. Scáthach seemed unaffected as she drew a rune into the ground and instantly Issei felt the pressure around him vanish as he got back to his feet.

" **The Goddess of Death has made her declaration, your time has yet to come Asia Argento. I offer you a catalyst, now return to the flesh which you born with, in the name of The Morrigan, The Phantom Queen of the Celts, I command you** ," finished Morrigan as she withdrew Asia's body from the portal.

The two of them just watched as the silver branch doorway receded back into the earth and Morrigan placed Asia's body gently on the ground before collapsing. Issei rushed over to the two of them and tears of joy appeared on his face as he saw Asia's body breathing softly, her wounds seemingly vanished. Realizing that she was ok, he walked over to the collapsed Morrigan and saw Scáthach picking her up from the ground before slinging the Goddess across her shoulders.

"Come on we should get back, after that display Morrigan will be wanted back by her fellow Celts…and we have some things that we need to discuss before then," ordered the witch as Issei nodded and picked up Asia.

* * *

"Morrigan are you sure you're okay?" asked Issei in concern.

"I'm fine Issei, just a little tired. Manipulating souls is very exhausting, even for someone like myself," replied the Goddess.

"Man just how powerful are Devils if there Evil Pieces can do things like that by themselves," murmured the teen.

Scáthach just shook her head, "Issei I told you, there is a difference between resurrecting someone and reincarnating them."

Morrigan nodded, "those infernal artifacts can only revive someone if there soul has yet to embark on the Path of Death. Something to be eternally grateful for."

"How is Asia?" asked the teen, thinking back to the nun now resting in his room.

The Goddess just gave him a tired smile, "don't worry Issei she'll be fine. She's a surprisingly strong soul, give it a day and she'll be back to normal."

"I see, so what is it you two wanted to talk to me about?" replied the teen.

The two Celts just glanced at each other before Scáthach stepped forward, "Issei we don't have much time so please we need to know, how are you connected to Cu Chulainn? Is he still alive? Where did you get your Gae Bolg?"

"Is this why you sought me out?" asked the teen.

The two Celts nodded, "remember what I told you about that Rune necklace? You didn't think we wouldn't notice Gae Bolg's use? Just be grateful that it was Morrigan that was sent to investigate."

Issei frowned as he debated his options, he could just lie or say that he didn't know, it would definitely be the safer option. 'But after what they've done for me, it just doesn't feel right to lie to them like that…Oi Ddraig what should I do?' he asked the dragon.

[Partner, we can't make your decisions for you. This choice you're facing is something you cannot just pass off to others. Just know that whatever decision you make, we'll support you 100%.]

A smile spread across his face, 'thanks Ddraig, you know one of these days I'll have to ask you about these others you keep mentioning.' Ddraig just laughed softly in amusement at Issei's reply before the dragon answered.

[Partner, I think you already know who they are.]

'I have my suspicions,' he replied with a smirk. 'Still I would like to meet them at some point, I'm going to have some mean words with Lancer after this.'

[Trust me partner at the rate you're going, you'll see them very soon.]

Seeing that the two Celts were still staring at him Issei took a deep breath as he came to a decision, a smirk grew on his face as he channeled a bit of Zelretch. "It's quite simple really, Cu Chulainn and the rest of the souls in these cards come from another world," he stated in amusement.

His good mood lasted a grand total of three seconds before he felt hostile atmosphere fill the room as the two Celts were surrounded by demonic black auras. "You're such a funny boy aren't you Issei? I thought I taught you to stop making those kind of jokes during our sparring session," growled Scáthach.

Suddenly Gae Bolg appeared in the witch's hand as she gave Issei a chilling smile, "it looks like you need a reminder of that lesson."

[Partner it's been nice knowing you.]

* * *

Issei groaned in pain as he got up from his couch and went to go check on Asia, who was still resting in his room. Feeling his body still aching from numerous bruises that dotted his body, 'did those two have to be so violent? It was just a joke.'

Still at least he managed to calm them down before they damaged anything more permanently, though not from a lack of trying. Once they'd calmed down the teen explained what he knew about the Class Cards, Heroic Spirits and even the Holy Grail War. In fact, the only thing he left out was Zelretch, simply saying that the cards were given to him by an old friend who'd passed away.

The two Celts seemed skeptical at first but after a grilling interrogation by them, which Issei could actually answer thanks to Ddraig and the others, they seemed to believe it. To say that the Holy Grail Wars outraged Morrigan and Scáthach was the understatement of the century, the two Celts calling it an abomination of a ritual.

Issei could understand why, if they hated Devil's for using Evil Pieces then summoning Heroes Spirits from beyond the grave as familiars was like a slap to the face for them. Even more so since they found out about Cu Chulainn's master in his last war, he almost felt sorry for the man as both Scáthach and Morrigan began discussing ways to get there and kill him personally.

"Yep definitely not telling them about Zelretch and Kaleidoscope," decided Issei as he began walking over to the stairs when he spotted a familiar purple haired girl sitting outside and staring up at the moon.

"Hey Scáthach, you're up late," greeted Issei softly as he approached the witch.

Scáthach turned to face him as a sad smile spread across her face, "just thinking about what you said, its hard to believe that there's another world…another me…I wonder if she got her wish?"

"Oh…" stated the teen, unhelpfully before he walked over to her and sat down beside the witch.

"Technically there's an infinite number of worlds, not just one. But remember that while there may be many Scathach's there is only one of _you_ , that hasn't changed. I find that it's better if you think of it that way, no sense pondering on how things might have been different," replied the teen as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I see…" murmured the witch, softly and plunging the two into silence.

Looking around Issei noticed the lack of a certain Goddess, "where's Morrigan? You two are rarely apart from each other."

"She's getting ready to go back to the Otherworld, after her display here Dagda will want to speak to her," informed Scáthach, making a worried expression appear on his face.

Seeing his expression the witch just laughed, "Oh, don't be like that, Morrigan knows how to keep a secret. She won't tell anyone about you except Lugh, no need to give him false hope you know."

Issei just nodded a guilty expression appearing on his face, "yeah poor guy, can you tell him I'm sorry for that when you see him."

Scathach's face suddenly gained a manipulative grin that made Issei's heart sink, "oh I'm not going."

"What? But I thought you two were only here to figure out the Cu Chulainn connection, besides aren't you both in trouble with this Dagda guy," frowned Issei in confusion.

"Dagda may be the leader of the Celts but I work with them, not for them. He has no power over me and he knows it, besides…" explained the witch with a hostile growl.

"Besides…" prompted the teen, curiously.

Scáthach gave the teen another grin as she stare at his arm, "I hear that dragons tend to attract all kinds of powerful entities, who knows maybe if I stick around you long enough, I'll find someone who can grant me my wish. Plus I don't want to miss any time with my new sparring buddy."

Issei was silent as he stared at the witch with a look of pity in his eyes, "Scáthach about your wish…is it true that you want to die?"

Much to his disappointment Scáthach just nodded her head, "that's right; I've lived a long time Issei. Far longer than I've wanted, I'm ready for death."

"But that just seems…wrong. To want to give up your life like that," argued Issei, causing the witch to smile sadly at him.

"Do you remember what Morrigan told you Issei? When Death has no meaning is Life really that fulfilling?" replied Scáthach as she turned back to look at the moon.

"But what about all the experiences that you'll never have? The possible events that await you in the future?" shoot back the teen, making Scáthach sigh.

"Issei I appreciate what you're doing but I can tell you right now that there is nothing I haven't already experienced left waiting for me in this world. No adventure, no excitement, no beauty, no change, just the same old thing repeating itself over and over again in an endless cycle," she responded, wistfully.

"Do you truly believe that Scáthach?" asked Issei as he looked at her with a familiar expression, bringing memories to the front of the witch's mind.

" _Do you truly believe that Scáthach?" asked the blue haired man._

 _Scáthach just sighed at the question, "I don't believe it Sétanta, I know it."_

 _The man just fixed her with a sad expression, "I see, take care then Scáthach. I hope that one day you are given your wish."_

'These two, so alike in so many ways,' she thought with sad smile as once again the past began to repeat itself in front of her.

"I don't believe it Issei, I know it," she said with a sigh, waiting for the predictable response.

"Then you're an idiot," replied Issei with certainty, causing Scathach's eyes to wide in shock as she turned to face him.

Seeing this the teen continued, "tell me Scáthach, have you ever been to school before? Have you ever been out of the Otherworld in centuries? Do you know with 100% certainty that everything will repeat itself in exactly the same way?"

The immortal witch was silent as she just stared at him in utter shock, making Issei sigh as he looked up to the starry night sky with an amused smile on his face. "An annoying old man once told me something; tell me Scáthach when you think of alternate realities what do you think of?"

Snapping out of her shock, the witch frowned as she joined his stargazing, the two of them staring up at the sky as Scáthach replied, "A world that is exactly the same."

Issei just nodded, "and you would be right for the most part. Most worlds are the same except for just a single difference, a single person's life is changed slightly and suddenly it's a new world, even if only a select few are affected."

The teen then lay down on his back as a shooting star flew over the sky, bringing a smile to his face as he gestured for Scáthach to do the same. Frowning the witch lay down next to Issei and stared at him in confusion as the teen continued his speech.

"However, sometimes that one little change is just the signal of something much greater, the calm before the storm as bit by bit, that one insignificant difference suddenly changes everything around you. These small little differences eventually adding up to create something entirely different from what you used to know," he replied with a smirk.

Scáthach sat up from the ground as she turned to face him with a confused look on her face, "Issei, why are you telling me this?"

The teen just got up from the ground and placed a reassuring hand on the witch's shoulder, "Scáthach while the past may repeat itself, there are always small changes to them, you just have to be willing to look for them. Don't focus on how everything is the same but rather how everything is different, you have the opportunity to observe people as time goes on, why waste it?"

The witch was silent before a soft laughter escaped her lips as she smiled at him, "this old man was truly a wise one."

"The damned troll does have his moments," agreed Issei, grudgingly.

The pair then fell into a comfortable silence as they turned back to the sky, each absorbed in their thoughts. Eventually the silence was broken as Scáthach felt Issei's hand leave her shoulder, making the witch turn to see him give her a determined stare.

"Scáthach I promise you that I will make your life have meaning again, I will make you see that you should never just give up on Life like that," he promised without a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Issei why do you care so much about this? It's my choice after all," frowned Scáthach in confusion.

"Because Scáthach, I care about you. You and Morrigan both, you helped me when I needed it and now I'm going to return the favour. Besides…" trailed off Issei, not noticing the witch's eyes widen slightly.

"Besides?" prompted the witch, bringing an embarrassed smile to Issei's face.

"Besides a pretty girl like you shouldn't have such a sad expression on your face, it looks much better with a happy smile," replied the teen as Scáthach quickly looked away, hiding her face from view.

"Don't ask for the impossible Issei…but thank you," murmured the witch as a true smile spread across her face, a light blush forming on her cheeks.

"What was that?" asked the oblivious Issei.

"I said you should head off to bed, it's getting late after all. Don't worry I'll check on your friend," lied the smiling Scáthach.

Issei just shrugged his shoulders as he got up from the ground, "if you say so, 'night Scáthach give my regards and thanks to Morrigan if you see her."

"Of course, oh and Issei. Catch," replied Scáthach as she threw something at him.

"Try not to break it this time," she scolded with a smile as Issei looked down and saw another Rune necklace in his hands.

"Not my fault the last one was made with shoddy craftsmanship," he replied before head back into the house, causing Scáthach to laugh softly as she looked back up at the stars.

"One small difference huh?" murmured the witch with a thoughtful expression on her face.

High above the Hyoudou residence the crow that had watched the entire exchange smiled before it flew away, eventually disappearing with a flash of light.

* * *

The Celtic Sun God, Lugh just sighed as he ordered another round of drinks, 'what the hell was she thinking! All that work we put into the plan and she ruins it in only a few days!' As his drinks arrived the Celt heard the sound of the door opening before he saw a familiar figure walk over to him and sit down at his table.

"Lugh, we need to talk," said Morrigan, causing Lugh to put his drink down.

"That we do, so tell me, how was your 'vacation' _Morigana_? Did you and your _sister_ enjoy school?" he teased, only for his eyes to widen as he saw Morrigan grab his drink from him before sculling it in one go.

"That bad huh?" he replied, after getting over his shock of seeing Morrigan actually drinking.

The Goddess' only response was to grab another of his drinks before chugging it down as well, her companion just watching as she downed all his drinks in stunned silence. Eventually she ran out of alcohol and ordered another round, stunning everyone in the castle into silence.

"I swear Lugh, Issei is a walking disaster. His luck doesn't just rival Cu Chulainn's, it surpasses it. Honestly, how the hell can a teenage boy stumble across a murder, be attacked and burn down a whole house in only twenty minutes!" she complained to her fellow God, a light flush on her cheeks.

A grin spread across Lugh face as he replied, "so the boy's name is Issei, is it? I can't wait to meet him, I haven't seen you act like this in years. To think there's a human that can even break The Morrigan herself out of her shell."

"He just seems to have that effect on people Lugh, hell even Scáthach has become tolerable when he's around," shrugged Morrigan.

A frown suddenly crossed the sun God's face, "speaking of the witch, where is she?"

"Still with Issei, she decided to remain there with him for now," replied the Goddess

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Leaving her unsupervised like that Morrigan? You know what she's like and Dagda is already furious with us," asked Lugh, worriedly.

"D-*hic*-don't worry, she won't start anything. Besides, it's not like I could force her to come with me," hiccupped the Goddess with a wave of her hand.

"But how can you be so sure?" questioned her companion, now starting to get a bit worried about the Goddess' state.

Morrigan just stared at the alcohol swirling in her mug as she replied without a trace of uncertainty in her voice, "Because Issei won't let her."

"And you think this boy can get her to give up on her wish? What makes you say that?" scoffed Lugh.

Morrigan just thought back to the incident with the Devil before she remembered Issei and Scathach's private discussion, picturing the thoughtful look on the witch's face as Issei left. The Goddess then gave Lugh an amused smile, "just a feeling. Call it a woman's intuition."

"Morrigan if you trying to reassure me, then you're doing a terrible job," sighed Lugh.

"Lugh, sometimes you need to take a leaf out of human's books and just have faith that everything will turn out okay in the end," replied Morrigan as she held one of her drinks out to him.

Lugh just sighed as he accepted the mug from her, "alright Morrigan, if you say so, but you're going to be the one that tells Dagda about this."

"Joy," deadpanned the Goddess.

The two then sat there drinking for a couple of minutes before Lugh spoke up again, the expression on his face instantly sobering Morrigan up completely. "Morrigan I need to know, what the hell were you two thinking, revealing yourselves like that! Do you know how long I had to listen Dagda rage about how we nearly caused a war with the Shinto Pantheon by sneaking into Japan?" he growled.

"There were some…extenuating circumstances," replied Morrigan, refusing to meet his eyes.

Lugh just raised his eyebrows, "oh? And were these circumstances worth it? We blew our cover, freed Scáthach and even gave her Gae Bolg, all for it to go to waste in only a couple days! All our hard work down the drain and now we have both the Shinto Pantheon as well as Dagda watching our every move."

"Considering I got the truth from Issei about Cu Chulainn…I would say it was worth it," concluded Morrigan with a smirk.

"The truth?" repeated Lugh in confusion.

"That's right the truth and trust me, we're both going to need more drinks before this is over," sighed Morrigan.

"Before what is over?" asked a male voice, making both the God's eyes widen.

The two of them turned to see Dagda as well as a woman wearing a golden kimono with suns woven into it standing before them, both looking very displeased as the entire room went deathly quiet. "Dagda," greeted Morrigan, stiffly with a nod.

"Morrigan," replied Dagda, returning the gesture.

"What brings the God of Life himself to our little welcome back party?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"Indeed, you look to be having quite the celebration Morrigan. I was under the impression that you didn't drink," he replied, eyeing the numerous empty mugs surrounding the Goddess of Death.

"Only on special occasions," shrugged Morrigan.

Dagda just nodded his head as his eyes narrowed on her own, "I see, well we heard you were back from your 'vacation' to Japan and wanted to come speak with you."

"Since when did you care about my personal life Dagda? You lost that right long ago," retorted the Goddess with a frown.

"Since you decided to infiltrate _my_ territory," growled the kimono-wearing female.

"Morrigan meet Amaterasu, she apparently has some questions for you regarding your stay in Japan," introduced Dagda.

Lugh and Morrigan were quiet before the Celtic Sun God turned to his companion with a bemused smile, "Morrigan are you sure you didn't bring the kid's luck home with you?"

* * *

 **Berserker Include State:**

 **STR: C+**

 **CON: C**

 **AGI: C**

 **MGI: C**

 **LCK: D**

 **Mad Enhancement: N/A**

Usually at a B ranking, this ability is sealed when in the Include state by the Class Card in order to protect Issei's mind, however the card is not able to completely negate the effect of this skill. Because of this when Issei Includes the Berserker card he will receive feelings of extreme rage and anger. This skill increases the ranking of all basic stats by one but at the cost of the user's sanity, since the skill has been sealed this enhancement is no longer in effect.

 **Battle Continuation: B**

Unlike Cu Chulainn whose Battle Continuation came from his unwavering fighting spirit, Heracles' ability instead comes from his famed ability to endure anything the Gods threw at him. This ability functions the same as Cu Chulainn's except exhaustion is no longer a problem for Issei.

 **Bravery: A+**

The ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination, Heracles' ability also allows him to increase his damage dealt when in melee. However, this ability is locked when under the influence of Mad Enhancement

 **Divinity: B**

Heracles was a Demi-God born from the Greek God Zeus and upon dying, he was granted a place on Mount Olympus and acknowledged as a God by his father. Because of this, he has Divinity equaling a God's and a large portion of this Divinity is granted to Issei when he Includes the card.

 **Eye of Mind (False): C**

A natural 'sixth sense' that a hero is born with and later fine-tuned through experience in multiple battles. It is a natural talent to avoid danger that is so engraved into the hero that it is active even when under the maddened state from Mad Enhancement. This helps Issei to see through half-hearted faints and makes him immune to most ambushes, however due to the reduced rank and Issei's lack of experience it is not perfect and can be fooled.

 **Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads: C~A+**

Type: Depends on the target.

Maximum number of targets: 1

The most trusted of all of Heracles' Noble Phantasms it originally had the form of a bow and arrow, which was used to slay the Hydra, an immortal nine headed serpent. After slaying the Hydra this technique became a Noble Phantasm that could then be utilized by other weapons, including swords and even shields. When this technique is used it allows the user to release a high speed attack that consists of nine consecutive strikes that are so fast they appear to be overlapping. This Noble Phantasm is lost when under the influence of Mad Enhancement.

 **God's Hand: C**

Type: Anti-Unit (Self)

Maximum number of targets: 1

The great hero Heracles underwent twelve labors as a form of atonement for murdering his family in a maddened rage that was induced by the jealous Goddess Hera. Upon his completion of all twelve labors the Gods rewarded him with an immortal body, his skin became impervious to all mundane weapons and he gained multiple lives that could not be taken by the same method twice, representing each labor that the hero completed. These lives can be regained at a rate of two lives every three days and regardless of whether or not the attack kills him, the hero will gain an immunity to the attack or weapon after encountering it for the first time. These immunities reset after the Issei exits the Install or Include state. Due to this Noble Phantasm's reduced ranking Issei is only has protection from weapons that are C- rank and below. The teen also only has three lives instead of the hero's original twelve that need to be taken.

 **Well how did you guys like that? Sorry it took so long but I wanted to do Berserker justice, hopefully you guys are happy with the result. A blonde man who killed Ilya…hmm I wonder which timeline Berserker is from…**

 **Also, we get the beginning of Scáthach X Issei so hopefully that didn't come across as too out of character for her. Lastly, if anyone spotted the references you have made my day.**

 **List of known Servants:**

 **Saber: ?**

 **Lancer: Cu Chulainn**

 **Archer: Atalanta**

 **Caster: Tamamo No Mae**

 **Rider: ?**

 **Berserker: Heracles**

 **Assassin : ?**


	7. The Seeds Are Sown

**Hey guys bad news, I recently got a Christmas job so the update rate will slow down dramatically. Also Temptress and Launcher have been decided, there will be no Alter Ego class though. Issei will have enough Gods after his head as it is without making that monstrosity...on second thoughts maybe I can have Alter Ego…hmm I'll think about it.**

 **##########IMPORTANT PLEASE READ##########**

 **I'm planning to change the Rider class identity, why? Because I already have two Greek Servants with more on the way thanks to the extra cards. I was going to pick Astolfo or Rider of Black as his replacement since he is one of the most balanced of the Rider classes but I decided as an apology to let you guys choose. There is currently a poll on my profile for you guys to choose out of a list of Rider candidates, including the original if you don't want it changed. The poll will be up until the next chapter, which will likely be awhile so feel free to take you time in choosing them.**

 **Question time.**

 **Kamigawa Nagamaki: Hmm…I guess it's possible, I'll keep it in mind.**

 **blarg7865: They can try, whether or she does is another matter entirely.**

 **cj1of4: This question came up a lot, from what I read reincarnating and resurrecting someone are two different things. When you resurrect someone, their soul has passed on yet and so it can still be called back. However, apparently when you reincarnate someone, you summon his or her soul back to the living world using a dead body and something as a catalyst. It is startlingly similar to summoning Servants and because of that, I had Morrigan collapse afterwards, it just seemed too similar to Heaven's Feel to work as it is supposed to with no side effects. Lastly, you will love the Excalibur arc.**

 **FateLover: I didn't expect people to actually look up who the Fomorians were, yeah let's just say shit is going to go down. You want more of the Greeks? Trust me when we get to the Riser arc you will get a shit tone of them. As for the card spirits, yeah their interactions will be fun to write. Actually, Lancer got the fight he wanted in both the Fate and UBW route. In Fate route, he managed to fight Gilgamesh and keep him busy for Shirou and the others for half an entire day, which is damn impressive when you think about it.**

 **Type-Alaya: Thanks for the advice and don't worry I'm trying not to make Issei too powerful.**

 **chaosglory626: That was actually the original plan before I started writing this story, I was going to have Diodora revive Asia and take her away then Issei would go ape shit when he saw her next. But that changed when I decided to include the Celtic Pantheon into the story.**

 **Pltrgst: Yes when he stops using the Berserker card the immunities reset, thanks for reminding me (I forgot to put that in the God's Hand description during the previous chapter.)**

 **the DragonBard: The problem with Perseus, is that I already have two Greeks being used. I kind of wanted to use a different Pantheon or nationality, which was the main reason I decided to change the Rider class. As for the Devil's you'll be seeing more of them in this chapter and the next one.**

 **dragon rider: I'm still unsure about whether to add Morrigan to the harem or instead make her have a sort of older sister relationship with him, trying to rein in the antics of her little brother.**

 **Guest: Sorry but Saber is already been picked.**

 **TheAllSeeingEye: Yes, that would be quite the event wouldn't it…**

 **KiriaMizuno: True EMIYA can be any class except Rider, but as I said before there are no current plans for him in this fic.**

 **Guest the loner: Sure, I'll make one after this chapter for you.**

 **DestinyFriend: That's right, remember Servants don't have to be summoned in one class, some can be summoned in multiple. I guess the offspring would change depending on if he was including a card at that time, it would be funny if he was including Tamamo or Heracles at the time since they were considered Gods. Indeed they would definitely be angered about Cu Chulainn's fate, especially if he was from the Heaven's Feel route…also thank you. You help gave me a brilliant idea for whom Avenger could turn out to be.**

 **shika the troublesome: Yeah so far that is the plans for the current harem.**

 **King ofheros: Yep it sure does.**

 **Theblacklightprojekt: Indeed Boosted Gear plus Berserker is a very broken combo.**

 **reven228: She might be…**

 **Lightningblade49: Yeah there's no way in hell (no pun intended) that Issei or Asia would become Devils now.**

 **Eternaldestiny . deathsquad: Yep, Protection from Arrows is what allowed him to do that.**

 **T-B-R: Right my bad…Amaterasu looks like Tamamo at stage 3 of Fate Grand Order only with a golden Kimono instead of purple. I'm glad you liked the Issei x Scáthach moment.**

 **Iskandar06: Thanks for pointing that out, you're right that will be difficult. I'll think of something if Rider remains the same.**

 **Kinunatzs: The relationship with the cards is similar to the relationship between Master and Servant in Fate Extra, the more in sync you are with the card the more power you can draw from it. The ultimate level of power you can get is the Install state, but that requires lots of mana and complete sync with the Servant. Good suggestion for the Saber class but that Servant's identity is now set in stone sorry…**

* * *

Arthur and his sister Le Fay slowly approached their faction's hideout, ignoring the commotion being caused by Kuroka and Bikou as the pair stared drinking. "Arthur, come share a drink with us," greeted Bikou.

"I'm afraid I cannot," replied the descendant.

"Silly Bikou, you know he's much too proper to let himself let loose like us, nyah," laughed the Nekoshou.

Arthur just ignored her as he turned to Bikou, "have you seen Vali, he apparently wanted to talk to us."

Bikou just nodded and pointed off into the distance, "wait until you see him, I haven't seen Vali act like that in a long while."

"What do you mean?" asked Le Fay, curiously.

"You'll see," replied Bikou with a wave of his hand as the pair returned to their drinking.

The two Pendragon descendants frowned as they headed off into the direction that their friend pointed to and spotted Vali leaning against a tree. Not too unusual, except for his expression. Arthur could count the number of times he'd seen the Hakuryuukou smile like that on a single hand; again, the two Pendragon siblings exchanged looks before they approached him.

"Vali, you asked to see us?" said Arthur, causing Vali to turn and face them.

"Arthur, Le Fay, indeed I wish to discuss something with you," answered the Hakuryuukou with a nod.

"Vali you look oddly happy, did something good happen?" asked Le Fay, tilting her head in confusion.

"We have a new recruit for Khaos Brigade," informed Vali with a smile still wide on his face.

"Oh? I never expected you of all people to be happy about something like that. Who is it?" replied Arthur, frowning in confusion.

"Just an unimportant Devil of the Astaroth clan," answered the Hakuryuukou with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Then what has put you in such a good mood?" questioned Arthur as his frown deepened.

"It was the information he gave us upon joining our faction," explained Vali, making Arthur's eyebrows raise.

"And what might that be?" he asked, as Le Fay just looked between the two of them in confusion.

"The Sekiryuutei has been found," announced Vali, his smile widening to extreme proportions.

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise at this, "truly? So your Rival has finally revealed themselves. Who are they? They must be pretty impressive if you're this excited."

"I don't know much, but apparently he's a human who has been living a normal life in the Gremory territory," making Arthur's frown return to his face.

"A human? Forgive me Vali, but I fail to see how a normal human could make you act like this. Besides the Devils are aware of him now, I doubt they will just leave him be," he informed the Hakuryuukou.

Vali shook his head, "actually, the Devils are still none the wiser about him, our recruit didn't inform them about him. After all, it would raise quite a few questions about why he was in Gremory territory unannounced. And you're mistaken, he's not normal Arthur. This human single handedly drove Kokabiel's Fallen Angels out of his hometown, all without the Devils knowing."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Arthur's face, "that is…impressive, I'll admit. However, Vali, those Fallen were weak, they were nothing compared to us. There's something else isn't there?"

The Hakuryuukou nodded, "indeed, apparently he has already been claimed by the Celtic Pantheon."

Both Le Fay and Arthur adopted expressions of pure shock at this news, "the Celts? So they've finally ended their isolation. But why would they go all the way to Shinto territory for this boy?"

There was an excited look in the Hakuryuukou's eyes as he replied, "why indeed? Apparently the boy is a descendant of Cu Chulainn himself, the son of Celtic Sun Lugh…who's one of the ten strongest beings in the world."

The two Pendragon sibling's shocked expressions grew even larger, "Vali are you sure about that? As far as we know, Cu Chulainn never had any living descendants."

"One of the Fallen Angels called him 'the bastard child of Cu Chulainn,'" reported Vali.

"They could have been mistaken," pointed out Le Fay, causing Vali to nod his head.

"True, however he has both Celtic Goddess of Death, Morrigan, as well as the Immortal Witch, Scáthach, herself staying with him. A normal human could never manage that," informed the Hakuryuukou.

"I see, a descendant of the Shield of Ulster. That must have caught Cao Cao's attention," murmured Arthur with a heavy sigh.

A soft laugh escaped Vali's lips, "indeed, from what I heard he's trying to find out who this boy is, unfortunately we only have his first name. Plus none of us can afford to be spotted stirring up trouble yet, so for now we've been ordered to leave him be."

The Hakuryuukou paused at this before his eyes narrowed on the two Pendragon siblings, "and that leads me to why I asked you here, I have need of the two of yours services."

"What is it Vali?" asked Arthur.

"You are aware of Kokabiel's plan with the Excalibur's?" questioned Vali, causing the two of them to nod their heads.

"Of course, there is not anyone in Khaos Brigade who isn't, there's also no one that thinks it will work," replied Arthur as a confused expression appeared on his face.

"True his plan is doomed to fail, especially after the loses my Rival inflicted on his pawns. Kokabiel has been reaching out for more personal and is in need of a skilled swordsman," agreed Vali.

"You want me to join him?" guessed Arthur, his confused expression never leaving his face.

"I want you both to. It will allow you to visit Kuoh without angering our colleagues and let you search for my Rival," explained Vali.

"You want me to test him?" asked the descendant.

"You're a skilled fighter Arthur, if he passes your test then I'll know that what they are saying about him are true," answered the Hakuryuukou.

"And what happens if Kokabiel actually succeeds? You know, as well as I, that we're relying on him to fail," questioned Arthur.

"If my Rival and the Devils are unable to stop him then the Hakuryuukou will step in to defeat Kokabiel and chase off the two rogue members of the Pendragon household. Redeeming the Grigori and ensuring that I'm present for the meeting Azazel plans," replied Vali, making a sigh escape from Arthur.

"I see, but we'll need a good reason to give to Kokabiel for the both of us wanting to suddenly join his forces," replied the descendant with a frown.

Vali smiled at him again, "we already have one Arthur, what descendant of the King of Knights himself wouldn't want to see his ancestor's sword remade. To wield Excalibur at its true glory?"

"True, so what's the name of this boy I should be investigating?" conceded Arthur, realizing that such a lie would be easily believable.

"His name is Issei, I'll give you the file we have on him. It contains what little we now about him, as well as the numerous theories we've made about the human," answered Vali.

"Understood, if you'll excuse us, my sister and I have to contact a certain Fallen Angel," acknowledged Arthur as the two Pendragon members walked away.

"I'm looking forward to see how you fight, my Rival," grinned the Hakuryuukou as a white wings briefly erupted from his back.

* * *

"It's nice to meet you, Lady Amaterasu," greeted Morrigan as she bowed before the Shinto Goddess.

"Yeah I'm always happy to meet a fellow Sun God," agreed Lugh as he just nodded towards her.

"I wish I could say the same about you two," growled Amaterasu, causing the two of them to share a concerned glance with each other.

"With all due respect Lady Amaterasu, what have we done to earn your ire?" questioned the Celtic Goddess, a frown appearing on her face.

"Don't play dumb with me Morrigan, your leader informed me of the situation when I went to meet him," frowned the Shinto Goddess.

"Did he now?" stated Lugh, giving his friend a betrayed look.

Dagda just sighed at the looks he was getting from the two of them, "I told you Lugh, if this situation got out of hand then I would put an end to it."

"Don't look so surprised Lugh, Dagda likes to betray the people closest to him," snarled Morrigan, causing Dagda to flinch.

"Morrigan, you know why I had to do that," he sighed, tiredly.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" she growled and suddenly the Goddess was surrounded by a black aura as feathers began sprouting off her flesh.

Dagda just glared at her before he was surrounded by a white outline that began pulsing against the black aura, the entire hall shaking at the forces that were starting to be unleashed. The rest of the drinkers in the castle hall just glanced at each other before sculling the last of the drinks and evacuating the halls.

"Are sure you want to do this Morrigan? Remember who taught you everything you know," warned Dagda as a massive club materialized in his hands.

"ENOUGH!" roared Lugh and immediately the temperature around the Gods skyrocketed as the Celtic Sun God rose from his seat, his power instantly engulfing the energy being given off by the other two Celts.

Everyone turned their attention to Lugh as they saw him surrounded by a bright orange and red flames, "Dagda, Morrigan, perhaps we shouldn't be discussing these things when we have a guest from the Shinto Pantheon present."

Dagda's eyes widened slightly before an ashamed expression spread across his face as he sat back down and turned back to the spectating Shinto Goddess, "indeed, my apologies Lady Amaterasu."

"It is fine Dagda, the Shinto Pantheon is no stranger to infighting. Shall we get back to purpose of the meeting," replied the still standing Amaterasu, never taking her eyes off Lugh as the chaotic atmosphere began to subside.

"Of course, please have a seat," offered Dagda, causing the member of the Shinto Pantheon to take the seat next to him.

'So that's the power of the Celtic Sun God, it would seem the tales about him were not exaggerated after all,' she thought, warily. The four of them were silent as Lugh and Morrigan sat on one side, while Amaterasu and Dagda sat on the other.

"First off, I want to state that the actions of Morrigan, Lugh and the witch Scáthach were not sanctioned or supported by the Celtic Pantheon," announced the leader of the Celts.

The Shinto God nodded, "I'm aware Dagda, what I want to know is, why they were in my territory."

"Your territory?" scoffed Morrigan. "I think the Devils would beg to differ there."

"They only exist because we allow it Celt, and you know that," growled Amaterasu.

Morrigan just shrugged, "if you're willing to let Devils in your territory then I see no reason why we should be any different, unless you think that we're inferior to them."

"Stop putting words in my mouth Celt, the fact that I'm hear discussing this with you personally should show the respect I have for the Celtic Pantheon," replied the Shinto Goddess as hostility began emanating off her.

Seeing this Lugh quickly stood up and tried to calm down the two Goddesses, "Lady Amaterasu, we understand that you're angry at us, but should it really go this far? In fact, you should be proud; the splendors of your country are so vast that even the Phantom Queen of the Celts decided to head there for a vacation."

Amaterasu's glare moved off Morrigan and instead found themselves boring into Lugh's head, "you think I'm angry about that?"

Morrigan and Lugh exchanged another glance before the Goddess of Death spoke up, "forgive me Lady Amaterasu, but what exactly are you angry about?"

Amaterasu slammed a fist onto their table as she replied, "you helped the Godslayer infiltrate my country! Not only that, but you even left her there completely unsupervised! If you don't tell me why you did this then I will assume the worst…and respond in kind."

"That…was an unfortunate blunder on our part, forgive us we weren't trying to send a message to the Shinto Pantheon," soothed Lugh, diplomatically.

"Then what were you doing?" asked the Shinto God as she began to calm down.

"Alright fine…I'll tell you the real reason that we did this," sighed Morrigan as she folded her hands over the table.

"Real reason?" frowned Amaterasu.

"Indeed, Dagda do you remember the second Gae Bolg we detected?" replied Morrigan, turning to face the leader of the Celts.

"A second Gae Bolg?" repeated the Shinto Sun God, as Dagda nodded and turned to face her.

"Nearly a week ago we detected what seemed like our cursed spear appear out of nowhere and disappear without a trace, almost as if it had vanished off the face of the earth," explained Dagda, causing Amaterasu's eyes to widen slightly in recognition.

"It disappeared without a trace? Are you sure?" she replied, frantically.

The three Celts frowned at her reaction before Dagda replied, "positive, after that Morrigan volunteered to investigate it."

"I tracked it back to the Shinto territory and decided to investigate," informed Morrigan as she took over the story.

"Why didn't you just inform us about your visit? We would have allowed it for something like this," asked Amaterasu.

The Celtic Goddess just sighed tiredly, "At the time I was suspicious of the Shinto Pantheon, after all it did happen in your territory."

"You thought we were responsible for it. I see, tell me what did you investigation find?" questioned Amaterasu, eagerly.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Morrigan in return.

"We had a similar incident with one of our…artifacts, it's not impossible that the two are related," lied Amaterasu, without missing a beat.

'So they did detect Issei, not well,' thought Morrigan worriedly as she plastered a blank expression on her face.

"I sincerely doubt they are related Amaterasu, you see we found a descendant of Cu Chulainn in your territory," she lied, causing both Dagda and Lugh to spit out their drinks in shock.

"A descendant of Cu Chulainn?! Impossible," exclaimed the Celtic God of Life.

"Now you see why we were being so secretive about this Dagda, after all you told us we that we couldn't afford infighting," sighed Lugh as he immediately tried to hide his shock.

"So you're telling me that a descendant of a Celtic demigod is currently living in my territory without me knowing? Forgive me Morrigan but I find that highly unlikely," replied Amaterasu as she leveled a suspicious glare at the Celt.

Morrigan just shrugged her shoulders again, "unlikely or not, it's the truth."

"And what's Scathach's role in all this?" questioned Dagda.

"We can't be around him all the time, so she's serving as a bodyguard and mentor for the kid, cost us a hefty price to do so," lied Lugh, a sad expression on his face.

"Gae Bolg?" guessed his friend, remembering the spear being missing from the vault and causing Lugh to nod.

"Fine, but I have one last question for you Morrigan," replied Amaterasu, her eyes never leaving the Celt's.

"And what might that be?" asked Morrigan.

"Does the name Tamamo No Mae, mean anything to you?" questioned Amaterasu, her eyes narrowing slightly as she saw a tiny flinch from the Goddess.

"Should it? We Celts have been out of the loop for a while," answered Morrigan.

A small growl came from Amaterasu as she replied, "I just find the timing of your visit to be a little too convenient for my liking."

A smug grin spread across Morrigan's face, "I would asked you to stop making baseless accusations Amaterasu, unless of course you have more proof than simple circumstantial evidence."

"I see, in that case I'll take my leave then, however Morrigan if you ever enter my territory without my permission again. There will be consequences," warned the Shinto God as she got up from her chair.

"Of course, I'll keep an eye on her, thank you for your understanding Amaterasu," assured Dagda.

The Shinto Goddess just nodded her head before silently leaving the castle halls, as the three remain Celts to let out breaths they didn't know they were holding. "Well…that went better than expected," commented Lugh as he went to grab another drink.

Dagda shook his head as a small, amused smirk appeared on his face, "Lugh just shut up and hand me that drink, would you? I'm going to need it."

"Are you going to tell the others about the kid?" asked Lugh as he handed the drink over to the Celtic God of Life.

Dagda was silent before he nodded his head, "I have no choice Lugh, the Devils will find out sooner rather than later. However, I will tell them that he is currently under the protection of the Immortal Witch as well as the two of you as well. That should keep them from trying anything, but are you sure that Scáthach won't cause trouble?"

"Of course not, she is a Celt after all. However, I'm confident she won't cause an incident now that she has to take care of the boy," scoffed Morrigan.

Dagda just fixed a tired look at Morrigan before he nodded, "I can't believe I'm saying this but…I'll trust you Morrigan."

Lugh frowned as he stared at his friend's expression, "Oi Dagda, what's wrong? You look exhausted."

Dagda sculled his drink before replying, "After Morrigan's display I've been receiving multiple messages from factions around the world, wanting to make connections now that the 'reclusive Celts' have ended their isolation."

"Not our problem," said Morrigan, everyone could hear the smug satisfaction and amusement in her voice.

Dagda just glared at her before an amused smile spread across his face, making Lugh and Morrigan slightly worried, as he got up from the table, "wrong, it _is_ your problem now. Congratulations Lugh, Morrigan, you two are now in charge of Foreign Affairs."

"WHAT?!" cried Morrigan.

"Dagda, you can't be serious," said Lugh.

"You two made this mess Lugh, now you have to clean it up. Think of it as your punishment," replied Dagda as he began walking towards the exit.

"Better hope that Scáthach doesn't make life hard for you…have fun," he said with a smirk before closing the door behind him.

"Well that was a thing, so a descendant of Cu Chulainn huh?" commented Lugh with raised eyebrows.

"Lugh follow me, I have things to tell you that aren't meant for unwelcome ears," ordered Morrigan with a frown on her face as she stood up.

"I see, lead the way then Morrigan," replied Lugh as he followed her out of the hall.

* * *

The Shinto Sun Goddess was fuming as she arrived back home and was greeted by her brother Tsukuyomi, whom took a step back at her hostile atmosphere. "Amaterasu, how was your meeting with the Celts?" he asked, causing a low growl to escape the Goddess as she walked out to their garden and sat down in front of the pond.

"Informative, in more ways than one," she replied, watching her reflection in the still water.

"What do you mean?" frowned Tsukuyomi, as he sat down next to her.

Amaterasu' fox ears twitched slightly as her eyes narrowed, "that Celt, Morrigan, she knows something about that fragment we detected. She might even be the one hiding it."

The Moon God's jaw just dropped in an expression of utter shock, "that's a bold accusation Amaterasu, are you sure?"

"Completely, I don't have any evidence right now but my instincts are telling me that she's hiding something," replied Amaterasu with a nod, not a trace of uncertainty in her voice.

"Speaking of which, have you told Susanoo about the fragment yet?" questioned Tsukuyomi.

"Of course not, our brother has the patience, restraint and subtlety of a child you know that. Who knows what he'd do if he found out…why?" answered the Goddess, in confusion.

"Because he asked me about it while you were off with the Celts," replied the Moon God.

"So he did sense it after all, what did you tell him?" sighed Amaterasu with a shake of her head.

"I told him that you had begun visiting the human world again," informed Tsukuyomi, causing his sister to give him an approving nod.

"Good idea, that should keep him from doing anything reckless," agreed the Goddess, only to frown as she saw the bitter expression appear on the Moon God's face. "Tsukuyomi, what's wrong?"

Her brother sighed, "I don't feel comfortable lying to him like this Amaterasu. You didn't see his expression when I told him that. He was so proud and happy for you that he looked like a completely different person."

Amaterasu just laughed, "Tsukuyomi, I think you're giving him too much credit. We both know what Susanoo is like."

"I guess…so what's our next move?" replied the Moon God sadly.

"For now we'll do nothing except continue to monitor the Leylines, did any of our followers in Kyoto find anything?" ordered Amaterasu.

"Nothing but some strange activity in one of the areas the Devils claimed," informed the Moon God with a frown still on his face.

"Strange activity?" repeated the Goddess.

Tsukuyomi nodded, "yes, it was in the same place that we detected the Celt."

Instantly Amaterasu's eyes narrowed as she spun to face him, "what happened?"

"Apparently, a group of rogue Fallen Angels had taken up residence there have all been wiped out, it seems the Devils are just as clueless as we are about it," answered the Moon God.

"Morrigan was likely the cause of it," stated the Goddess, only to frown as her brother shook his head.

"That's what we thought as well but…" he trailed off.

"But?" prompted Amaterasu.

The Moon God had gave another tired sigh before he replied, "While you were away, I got a message from Zeus asking if we had detecting anything 'off' in our territory."

"What did he mean by 'off?'" she asked, curiously.

Tsukuyomi just shrugged, "apparently, he thought he detected the power of his son somewhere in our territory."

"The descendant of Heracles? Why would he care about that? He never cared about the descendants before," muttered Amaterasu, causing him to shake his head.

"No you're misunderstanding me, I said his _son_ , not his _descendant_ ," informed Tsukuyomi, making his sister's jaw drop.

"What? But that's not possible, Heracles…" started the Shinto Goddess, only to be interrupted by her brother.

"Is dead I know, however just a couple of days ago I received a similar message of Apollo and Artemis. At the time I didn't want to bother you with them and dismissed it as pure nonsense, but with Zeus asking, as well as the impossible fragment we detected…" Tsukuyomi again trailed off.

"Suddenly they don't seem to be that far-fetched any longer," finished Amaterasu as she stood up from the ground. "Something is going on in our territory Tsukuyomi and I want to find out what."

"So what do you want to do?" asked Tsukuyomi with a worried expression.

"Find Scáthach and the boy she's with, if they're involved with Morrigan then I want to know how and why," replied Amaterasu as she began walking away, only to be stopped by Tsukuyomi placing a hand on her shoulder.

"They're currently in the area the Devils claimed though, and not only that but they are siblings of the Maou. I won't let you risk a conflict between us for something as trivial as this Amaterasu, until you find definitive proof then you won't interfere with them," informed Tsukuyomi.

A low growl of frustration echoed from her before she took a deep breath, "very well Tsukuyomi, in that case I'm going to contact the Greeks. I think we would all benefit from comparing notes."

"Amaterasu, perhaps you should take a break from this investigation, you're beginning to act like our brother," requested her brother in concern.

"Oh please, I'm much more focused than that oaf," scoffed Amaterasu as she walked off.

"That's what worries me," murmured Tsukuyomi, sadly.

* * *

"My son has brought home another foreign beauty! Truly this is a miracle!" cried Mr. Hyoudou, causing the teen to sigh as his father engulfed the shocked Asia in a massive hug.

"Asia, I'm really sorry about him," apologized Issei, while Scáthach just simply laughed softly in the background.

"It's okay Issei I don't mind, but are you sure its fine if I stay here at your house?" asked the nun, making Mr. Hyoudou nod his head eagerly.

"Of course you can Asia, after what those terrible arsonists did to your home at the church, you can stay here as long as you like. In fact, I want you to think of me as your father," reassured the man.

"T-thank you, Otou-san," replied Asia with a beaming smile, an angelic light seeming to reflect off her body.

"Oh what a nice, loving girl. Issei marry her, marry her right now," ordered Mr. Hyoudou, making the two in question blush heavily.

"And that's it for me, Asia we're going to see if we can get you into school, in the meantime just stay here with him, okay?" asked Issei.

"Yes, thank you again Issei, and can you thank Morrigan when you see her?" replied Asia.

"Unfortunately Morrigan had to return home to Ireland for a while, but I'm sure I could send her a message for you," informed Scáthach as she smiled at the nun.

"Thank you Scáthach, may the Lord bless and keep both of you," prayed the nun, making an amused smirk appear on Scathach's face as the two waved their goodbyes.

Once they were outside the witch's smirk simply grew, "the Christian God blessing a Celt, the day that happens is the day the Lugh turns into a Leprechaun."

"The Celts and Christians don't like each other?" questioned Issei in surprise.

Scáthach shook her head, "we're not on bad terms, but then again we're not on good terms either. Ireland used to be the source of all Celtic worship but when Christianity came, we lost a great deal of followers. Some of the Gods still are angry about that."

"I see," murmured the teen, before his mind drifted back to Asia's situation.

Issei sighed at the thought of the nun currently being forced to stay at his house with his father, 'and after I said I would take care off her to, that promise lasted a longer than I expected. I hope she's okay at home with dad.' Apparently hearing his sigh, Scáthach turned around and smacked him on the shoulder as she smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry Issei, if everything goes well with our meeting with the Devils then Asia should be able to join us soon," she reminded him.

"Yeah that's true, still don't you think I should be informing them about you going to meet them? Or at least let me tell them who you are beforehand?" asked Issei with a frown.

Scáthach shook her head, "no that would draw too much attention and panic, we'll tell them during the surprise meeting."

"Alright Scáthach, if you say so," sighed Issei.

As the two entered through the school gate Issei yawned as the last restless night on the couch finally caught up to him, "man it is too early…"

Suddenly the teen felt himself hit someone as they both tumbled to the ground, groaning Issei looked down to see whom he had collided with and instantly his blood froze. "H-hey Kaichou, how are you this morning?" he asked, as he quickly tried to push himself off her, only to feel something squishy grasped in his hand.

Looking down at his hand Issei just sighed, "oh shi-"

"Pervert!" screamed Sona as she punched him in the jaw and sent him skidding across the school caught before coming to a halt as he hit the building, collapsing to the ground.

"Urgh…well I'm awake," groaned Issei as he rubbed his head and got to his feet, only to freeze as he saw snow beginning to fall to the ground.

'Snow in July? That's odd," he thought before his eyes widened as the teen noticed the snow only falling around the school grounds. Swallowing fearfully Issei slowly turned back to Sona and felt her radiating enough rage to rival Berserker, turning to Scáthach for help he saw her glaring at him before she continued onto class.

"Bye pervert," called Scáthach, abandoning the teen to his fate.

'What?! Why is she angry? I didn't do anything, did I?' questioned Issei, confused.

[Well partner, congratulations. It seems you unlocked the Scáthach route, I guess you successfully triggered her flag last night.]

'Ddraig, what are you talking about?' asked the clueless teen.

[Never mind partner, besides I think you have bigger things to worry about now.]

"Issei Hyoudou! You're dead!" shouted Sona, drawing his attention back to the present.

"And that's my que to go," muttered Issei as he ran across the school courtyard with the Sitri heiress in hot pursuit.

"Get back here you pervert! I'll flay the skin from your bones!" screamed Sona, causing all the students present to stare at the pair with amused expressions.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! FORGIVE ME KAICHOU!" cried Issei as he ducked from a stone thrown by the heiress.

"NEVER!" she snarled, as the crowd watching them grew larger, before they began murmuring to each other, softly.

"Those two at it again? Honestly, why don't they just kiss and make up already like every good couple should," sighed one of the students, bringing blushes to the faces of Issei and Sona.

"There's no way I would ever date him/her!" they shouted in unison, before coming to a stop as they glared at the crowd and making the whispers increase tenfold.

"Oh please Kaichou, everyone knows about how the Ice Queen of Kuoh took the Oppai Baka himself to her office for some _punishment_ ," scoffed a student, making Sona start stuttering.

"Oppai Baka," muttered Issei in a slightly depressed tone.

"Not only that, but he's the only one that can actually break the Ice Queen's cold exterior, he must have really warmed your heart to melt through that," continued another student with a perverted smirk.

Issei quickly glanced over at the Sitri heiress who was fidgeting slightly, a far cry off her usual cold and composed aura that she usually gave off and sniggered, softly. Realizing that she was currently distracted, Issei quickly bolted and tried to get away from the heiress, only to hear her growl before chasing after him as they disappeared from the crowd's sight.

Suddenly Issei dived to the side as the water fountain in front of him erupted with a spray of water in front of him before turning into spiked wall of ice, blocking him off. "Hey! That could have seriously hurt me then!" he cried fearfully as he spun around and saw Sona with a blue magic circle appearing around her hand.

"For the good of the school, no the good of all society I must kill you. This I swear as a member of the Sitri household. Now stand still, damn it!" she growled as he dodged another magic attack.

"Like hell I will!" shot back Issei as he once again began fleeing for his life, the enraged Sona not far behind him.

* * *

"Where are you pervert?" growled Sona as she rounded a corner and found Issei missing.

Rushing down the school hallways the Sitri heiress skidded to a stop as she spotted Rias exiting from one of the classrooms. "Sona? What's wrong?" asked the Gremory heiress in concern about her friend's behavior.

"Rias? Have you seen Hyoudou anywhere?" asked Sona, frantically as she grabbed her fellow Devil's arm.

"Yeah he just ran down that way, why?" replied Rias with a nod as she pointed down one of the hallways.

"You won't escape me now ISEEI HYOUDOU!" screamed Sona as she rushed off in the direction that Rias had pointed.

Rias just stared in the direction that Sona ran down for a couple of minutes before breathing a sigh of relief and looked down at the mirror in her hand, "phew…that was too close. Thank God, Tamamo I love you right now."

Immediately he felt a warm comforting feeling coming from the mirror tucked under his arm, causing the teen to frown as he brought it up to his face. Upon lifting it up to his face, Issei immediately flushed as he saw Rias' reflection staring back at him with a flustered expression on her face. 'She is quite pretty, isn't she?' he thought as he tried numerous expressions on his new face, only to flinch in pain as a sharp shock came from the mirror.

For a brief moment he could have sworn he saw Rias' reflection get replaced by the image of a glaring Tamamo before Issei shook his head as he came back to his senses. 'What was that?' he wondered in confusion about the sudden shape in the mirror.

"Ugh…I think Motohama and Matsuda are beginning to affect me. Not only that but I'm starting to see things, well sanity is for the weak I guess," replied Issei as he shrugged his shoulders.

[To think you'd use a hero's power for something like this. Partner, that's kind of sad.]

'Yeah, yeah, very funny Ddraig, still that went surprisingly well…too well in fact,' muttered Issei as a frown appeared on his new female face.

"Buchou? Is that you? Aren't you supposed to be in the clubroom?" called a male voice.

'Yep, there we go,' sighed Issei as he turned around and saw Kiba approaching him.

[Look on the bright side partner, at least your luck is consistent. That's better than most people.]

'Yeah, lucky me,' scoffed the teen, sarcastically.

"Kiba, I had some business to take care of quickly," lied Issei as the knight nodded.

"I see, in that case I'll accompany you back to the clubroom," replied Kiba.

"No!" exclaimed Issei before coughing as he plastered a calm expression on his face. "I mean that won't be necessary Kiba, I'm sure you've got class to head to."

"It's fine Buchou, as your Knight it is my duty to accompany my King," dismissed Kiba with a wave of his hand.

'God damn it, why does he have to keep up this white knight act,' thought Issei in frustration.

[Partner…]

'I know Ddraig, we're going to be in some serious trouble if we're caught here. Damn it where's Scáthach when you need her,' growled Issei in his head, not noticing Kiba looking at his mirror curiously as the pair began walking back to the ORC clubroom.

"Buchou, I was wondering, why do you have that mirror?" he asked Issei, making the teen curse softly.

"Oh well I heard it was supposedly meant to be some old Japanese artifact and decided to buy it," lied the teen.

An understanding expression appeared on Kiba's face as he nodded, "ah, you always were a bit of an Otaku for anything Japanese."

'Rias is an Otaku? I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover,' thought Issei in mild surprise.

"Well we'll get Koneko and Akeno to have a look at it once we get back to the clubroom. They know quite a bit about Shinto artifacts, they might be able to identify it," informed the knight.

'Yeah that's not happening, I have enough problems as it is,' groaned Issei as the grip on his mirror tightened.

[Partner have you figured out a way to lose this guy yet?]

'I'm working on it, that's it!' thought Issei as a happy smile spread across his face.

"Kiba you can go on ahead, I need to go inform Issei that I need to see him during the break," he ordered the knight.

"Don't worry Buchou, I can do that for you," offered Kiba, making Issei cheerful in joy internally.

'Hook, line and sinker,' he thought, giddily.

"That would be greatly appreciated, thank you Kiba," replied Issei, the grin still on his face as he faced the knight.

"Of course, Buchou," replied the knight as he rushed off to find the wayward teen.

"Not a moment too soon," sighed Issei as he turned and began looking for a good spot to change back to normal.

"Buchou? How did you get out ahead of me and was that Kiba?" questioned a familiar female voice, making Issei groan as he turned to see Akeno behind him.

[Out of the frying pan and into the fire, right partner?]

'That's it, I swear to God. If you're not dead and I find out then I'll personally come and kill you for this!' screamed Issei internally as he again put another clam mask on his face.

"Akeno, what are you doing here?" he asked, causing the Queen to frown in confusion.

'Honestly doesn't any of them ever go to class? Why are they never singled out like me?' thought Issei, annoyed at the clear special treatment.

"Buchou, I always leave school at this time to head to my shrine," replied Akeno, making Issei again curse, softly.

"Oh of course, my apologies Akeno, I'm afraid I have a lot on my mind right now," he replied, truthfully.

"I understand Buchou, the situation with Riser is a troubling one," said Akeno with an understanding expression on her face.

'Who the hell is Riser?' thought Issei, in panic.

"Right…Riser…that's it," murmured the teen as Akeno gained another frown on her face.

"Buchou, are you okay?" she asked, in concern.

"Of course I am, why do you ask Akeno?" he answered as the teen felt a few drops of sweat begin to run down his back as Issei struggled to maintain his calm expression.

"It's just…I've never seen you utter his name without a snarl on your face," said the Queen, causing Issei to simply blink in response.

'All right seriously who the hell is Riser damn it!' he cursed in his head as Akeno noticed the mirror in his hands and her eyes widened slightly.

"Buchou…that mirror…may I see it?" she asked, holding her hands out to take the Noble Phantasm.

'Damn it! Well let's cross fingers and hope for the best I suppose,' he thought in anger as he handed the Mirror of Uka over to the Queen.

[Would if I had fingers, Partner.]

"Buchou…this mirror…where did you get it?" questioned Akeno as a fearful expression appeared on her face.

'Crap, if I tell her I bought it then it'll cause problems when she asks Rias about it later. No choice I suppose,' mused the teen as he took a deep breath.

"I borrowed it off someone…" he replied, vaguely.

"Who?" interrogated the Queen frantically.

"Why? What's wrong Akeno?" frowned Issei.

"That mirror, I could be mistaken but I'd like to ask its owner a couple of questions," replied Akeno as Issei grabbed the mirror back off her.

"I'm sorry Akeno, but my source asked me to keep their identity a secret," he lied, hoping that it would put an end to this conversation.

"Buchou please, if I'm right about that mirror then we're all in danger!" exclaimed Akeno and making a frim expression appear on Issei's face.

"Akeno, as an heiress of the Gremory Clan and your King, I am ordering you to drop the subject and never bring it up to me again. Is that understood?" impersonated Issei, trying his best to act like Rias would.

Akeno just flinched before she nodded stiffly, "understood Buchou, if you'll excuse me."

Issei just watched as Akeno walked off and sighed as he found a nice isolated corner to transform back to normal, his mirror reverting back to its card form. 'Hopefully that won't cause problems for Rias, Akeno looked pretty upset,' he thought, sadly.

[Well partner congratulations, you just successfully committed identity theft of an heiress of the most wealthy and vengeful clans in Devil society.]

'Ddraig do me a favour and stop talking I'm in no mood for it,' growled the teen as he opened the door to his class and was immediately yelled at for being late by his teacher.

* * *

"Issei Hyoudou, how could you?!" cried two voices as the teen was grabbed by his collar once school ended.

"Motohama and Matsuda, what's wrong? The Kendo club beat you up again?" asked Issei as Motohama lifted him up and Matsuda growled at him.

"You know what you did! We trusted you Hyoudou!" snarled Motohama, only for all three of them to flinch as they felt a murderous aura fill the room.

The three guys all turned to see Scáthach smiling menacingly at them, "Issei and I have a very important meeting to get to so I would recommend removing your hand from him now, if not I could do it for you…that is if you don't mind losing a limb."

"Woah, woah, hold on Scáthach," exclaimed Issei as he placed himself between his friends and the witch before turning back to them. "So what did I do guys?"

The two of them growled softly as Matsuda answered, "Mil-tan, does that name ring a bell to you?"

"Mil-tan? No, should it?" replied Issei with a frown of confusion.

"It's the number you gave us for our date!" roared Motohama.

"Oh yeah I did that, didn't I? Sorry things have been a bit hectic right now, I completely forgot about that. So how was the date?" asked Issei with a sheepish smile as his two friends began crying anime tears.

"Not good huh? Sorry about that guys, but you know what they say, plenty of fish in the sea and all that," replied Issei sympathetically.

"Why are you mocking us Issei? I thought we were friends! Comrade in arms to obtain the wonderful gift of Oppai," exclaimed Matsuda.

"Well we are friends at least, and I am truly sorry that things didn't work out between you two and Mil-tan," comforted Issei, only to be surprised as both perverts gained even angrier expressions.

"How dare you! You have the nerve to say that to our faces while you're getting friendly with one of the transfer students, I bet you've already made her your girlfriend right?" snarled Motohama, making a surprised expression appear on Issei and Scathach's faces, the latter's face briefly blushing as she looked away from them.

"What? Scáthach and me? No you've got it all wrong we're just friends," laughed Issei, making the witch's head to snap around to face him before sighing as she returned to glaring at the Perverted Duo.

"Issei, who are these two idiots?" she asked, hostilely.

"Right I haven't introduced you yet, Scáthach meet Motohama and Matsuda. Some of the only friends I have in this school, and people I would not appreciate being dismembered," he replied with narrowed eyes.

"No promises. Besides, I think you have a pretty poor taste in friends if this is whom you chose," scoffed Scáthach.

"Then what does that make you Scáthach? Besides they're not that bad, they begin to grow on you after a while," argued Issei.

"So does a fungus, that doesn't make them any better, in fact from now on their names are Pubert 1 and Pubert 2. Besides, they haven't stopped ogling me since I arrived," shot back Scáthach angrily.

"Look just go on ahead, I'll catch up after I deal with this," sighed Issei, realizing a lost cause when he saw one.

"Fine but you better hurry, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting Issei," smirked the witch.

"If I meet one, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," replied Issei with his own smirk on his face, making a demonic aura surround Scáthach as she again sent them a smile that gave the boys shivers.

"Such a funny boy aren't you? Let me rephrase that; it would be hazardous to your health to keep me waiting," she warned, sweetly before walking off.

[Partner, why did you do that? You knew she was going to be angry about that.]

'Exactly, as long as she's angry at me then her attention will be focused off these two,' replied Issei as he turned back to Motohama and Matsuda.

[How surprisingly selfless of you partner.]

Ignoring the dragon Issei just frowned at them, "listen guys, be careful around Scáthach okay? She has quite the temper when angered; in fact, it's probably best if you lay off the perverted stuff when she's nearby. Believe me, the Kendo club is nothing compared to her."

Seeing the two of them nod the teen then sighed, "So what's the problem with Mil-tan?

The two perverts paused before they stared him, "you really don't know?"

"Issei tell me, how did you get that number?" asked Motohama.

"Koneko gave it to me, why?" replied Issei in confusion.

"So you never actually saw who Mil-tan was?" pressed Motohama.

"No," answered Issei with a shake of his head.

The two perverts exchanged shocked looks, "he has to be lying, doesn't he?" muttered Matsuda.

"There's one way to check," replied Motohama as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Tell me Issei would you like to see a picture Mil-tan sent us."

"Sure why not," shrugged the teen as he examined the picture that Motohama brought up.

The entire class jumped as they saw Issei fall to the ground, an expression of horror appearing on his face, making both Motohama and Matsuda look at him with pity. "Judging from your face, that pathetic expression that says you're about to vomit, you saw it, didn't you? I'm sorry Issei it appears you really didn't know," apologized Motohama.

Issei didn't respond as one thought echoed across his mind, 'I saw Hell.'

* * *

"Alright, Issei are you ready?" Scáthach asked the still slightly shaken Issei Hyoudou.

"As I'll ever be, just please let me do most of the talking Scáthach and remember these people are also friends okay. So please behave yourself," begged Issei as he finally had some colour return to his face.

"Come on Issei, it's me," replied the witch with a grin.

"I'm serious Scáthach, two of them are siblings of the Maou's and that means no hurting them simply to fight their siblings," informed the teen, making her sigh, tiredly.

"Fine, if you care that much then I'll do it. I, Scáthach, the Immortal Witch of the Land of Shadows, swear not to harm any of the Devils at this school without a just cause," she vowed, with a serious expression on her face.

"Thank you Scáthach," smiled Issei, this time noticing the witch quickly turning away from him.

"Well it would cause you trouble if I did that, wouldn't it?" she replied with a shrug. "I suppose it doesn't really matter, I just need to wait for someone else to show up. Besides, if the Greeks find you then I'll get the best fight I've had in years."

"No offense Scáthach but I hope that never happens," deadpanned the teen.

"Spoil sport, anyway shall we?" teased the witch with a smile as they approached the ORC clubroom door.

"Yeah, hopefully Rias is in a good mood," nodded Issei as they pushed the door open.

Entering the room Issei paled as he saw not only Rias and her peerage present but also Sona, Saji and Tsubaki, the Sitri heiress glaring at Issei before turning to examine Scáthach with a wary expression.

"Are we interrupting anything?" asked Issei.

"No, we were just making arrangements for Sona's trip to the Familiar Forest tomorrow," replied Rias, happily, as she saw Issei.

"Familiar Forest?" repeated Issei.

"The place where new Devils are allowed to find a familiar to serve them, since Rias doesn't have any new servants I was allowed to take her place for Saji," answered Sona, coldly.

"Oh, congratulations Saji," cheered Issei, making the Devil grin happily.

"Enough about us, Issei it's good to see you. Who is this?" asked Rias, cheerfully as she finally noticed Scáthach.

"Rias, that's one of the Celts," informed Sona and instantly the upbeat atmosphere changed into a wary one as all the Devils stared at Scáthach.

"Indeed, pleasure to meet you Devils, Issei convinced me to introduce myself to you," greeted Scáthach, seemingly uncaring about the hostile air now charging the area. "My name is Scáthach, perhaps you've heard of me."

There was a brief pause before the colour slowly drained from the faces of the Devil's present as Rias softly muttered, "Godslayer."

'So Scáthach is infamous for something, now it makes sense why she didn't want to inform them beforehand. Still some warning would have been nice,' thought Issei with a sigh as he tried to think of a way to lower the rising tension.

"Are you _the Scáthach_ or are you just named after her?" questioned Sona.

'That's it! Come on Scáthach please just pretend to be someone else!' begged Issei, only for his hope to die as he saw a smirk appear on the witch's face.

"Maybe this will answer your question," she replied, before summoning a crimson spear in her hand.

"Is that…" questioned Kiba.

"Gae Bolg? Of course it is. Where do you think Issei got his from?" answered Scáthach making Sona and Rias' eye widen as a frown appeared on their faces.

"So we were right, your Sacred Gear can copy legendary weapons," murmured Rias, softly.

'What? How did they come to that conclusion? I doubt there's anyone with that kind of overpowered ability,' thought Issei in complete confusion.

Elsewhere across the multiverse a certain Counter Guardian, numerous red haired teenage magus' and a number of Isseis from other worlds sneezed.

For a brief moment Scathach's eyes widened before she smiled, "wow, you Devils already figured that out? I'm impressed, you're better than I expected."

'WHAT?!' thought Issei in shock as he was about to speak up, only to feel Scáthach jab her elbow into his ribs.

"Of course, we're heiress' of two of the clans of the 72 Pillars, we shouldn't be underestimated," commented a smug Rias.

"Indeed, you're certainly changing my opinion on Devils," replied the Celt with a smile.

'And I'm not entirely sure it's for the better,' realized Issei with a sigh.

"Thank you, may I ask who your companion was?" questioned Rias.

"Umm…I don't think that is a good idea," warned Issei, only to be ignored by everyone present.

"It was Morrigan," announced Scáthach, making Issei sigh again as a shocked expression appeared on all the Devil's faces.

"The Celtic Goddess?" confirmed Sona, getting a nod in response from the witch.

"ISSEI HOW DID YOU MEET AND BEFRIEND A CELTIC GODDESS OF DEATH, LET ALONE THE IMMORTAL WITCH!" shouted Rias as everyone turned to the teen.

"Umm…I didn't, they came to me," replied Issei, only to cry out as Scáthach stamped on his foot.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed everyone, causing Scáthach to sigh.

"Why would you two show such interest in Issei Hyoudou?" questioned Sona in confusion.

"Oh I can explain tha-ouch!" cried out Issei as the witch again, nearly crushed his foot beneath her own as she stood in front of him.

"Let me answer that with a question of my own. What does Morrigan, myself and Gae Bolg all have in common?" asked Scáthach.

"Cu Chulainn," replied Kiba after a brief silence filled the room.

"Exactly, you see Issei here is one of his descendants," lied the witch.

"What?!" gasped Rias.

"Scáthach…" warned Issei, softly.

"And I'm staying here to act as his tutor and bodyguard, so I'll be joining this club. Let's all get along okay?" concluded Scáthach as she fixed them all with a smile that made even Akeno flinch.

"WHAT?!" shouted Rias with a horrified expression.

"I see, you realize that we'll have to inform our leaders of this," stated Sona as the Sitri heiress was the first to regain her composure.

"That's fine, isn't it Scáthach?" said Issei quickly, trying to end this conversation before it got too out of hand.

"I guess there's no choice," sighed Scáthach.

"Still as a representative of the Devils, let me welcome you to our territory," greeted Sona, formally.

"Thank you, I hate to ask this but could you do me a favour," asked the witch, with a grin on her face.

"And what might that be?" frowned Rias.

"We have a friend that wants to join the school and join the club, but she needs a fake background," informed Scáthach.

Issei just stayed out of the conversation and moved to sit next to Koneko before giving the white haired girl a wary look, remembering what happened with Mil-tan. The white haired girl looked at him with wide unblinking eyes before Issei sighed and began patting her on the head again, once again hearing the sound of a cat purring as he returned his attention back to the current conversation.

"A Celt?" frowned Sona.

"A member of my faction," replied Scáthach.

"That should be easy to do, what's their name?" nodded Rias.

"Asia Argento," replied Issei.

"That's not very Celt sounding name," frowned Sona.

"It's the alias she chose, what can you do?" shrugged Scáthach.

"Okay I'll have the necessary paperwork done tonight and send it over to Issei's, she should be able to do go to school by tomorrow," announced the Sitri heiress.

"Thank you, I hope you don't mind but Issei and myself need to be excused. We want to inform our friend about the good news," stated Scáthach as Issei nodded and rose from the couch before following the Celt out of the clubroom.

"We need to contact the Maou, let them know what's happening here," sighed Sona as the door closed behind them.

Rias joined her in their lamenting, neither of them liked involving their siblings with anything but this was not something they could just sweep under the rug. Still to think that Issei was a descendant of the Cu Chulainn, perhaps it was better that she didn't get him in her peerage. Rias doubted the Celts would have let that slide easily.

* * *

"What happened to letting me do all the talking?" commented Issei with a glare as the pair left the school grounds and headed for home.

"Oh please Issei, I only said that to keep you from worrying, besides if you'd done the talking the Devils would have already figured everything out," dismissed the witch.

"And why is that?" replied Issei through gritted teeth.

Scáthach just laughed, "Because you can't lie to save a life Issei, not only that but you have no idea how politics work. Believe me, it's better if I do all the talking."

"Speaking of politics, aren't you worried about what happens when they find out you lied about Asia?" questioned Issei.

A large grin spread across her face, "technically I didn't lied Issei. I just told them she was part of my faction, it's not my fault if they assume that means she's a part of the Celts."

'Ddraig, remind me to never play her at poker,' thought Issei.

[Agreed, partner.]

"And what is your faction Scáthach?" asked Issei, curiously as he snapped back into the present.

The witch just blinked as she looked at him in surprise, "isn't it obvious? Your's of course Issei, although we will need to think up a name for it. Work on that would you? We need to start getting our name out there."

"Yeah sure, whatever you say Scáthach," he answered with a shake of his head.

"Still was that really a good idea to say I'm a descendant of Cu Chulainn?" asked Issei with a worried frown on his face.

"It's better than the truth Issei, besides it's not like anyone can prove us wrong with Morrigan, myself and Lugh backing the claim," replied Scáthach.

"Do you think Lugh will agree to that? It is his son after all," pointed out Issei

"We'll cross that road if we get to it, besides I'm confident Morrigan can convince him," replied the witch.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're leading me to a horrible death…" muttered Issei with a sigh as they finally arrived back home.

"Don't worry so much Issei, honestly you'll live longer that way," grinned Scáthach as she opened the door before turning back to face him.

"Remember to come up with a name Issei, we'll need something to catch people's attention," she ordered as the witch headed into the house.

"Don't worry it'll be a name that people won't soon forget," he replied with a joking smile.

"Good, I'm looking forward to it. Soon our faction will be well known around the world," she grinned, while Issei just shook his head, clearly thinking that the witch was joking…he really should have known better by now.

* * *

 **Hey guys this chapter wasn't a very action packed one but it was more setting things up for the later arcs, hope you guys liked it anyway. I made references to two series, see if you can get them. One is fairly oblivious and the other will be difficult for people who aren't fans of the series…have fun.**


	8. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait but I blame Fallout 4 and Fate/Grand Order as well as my job, the minute I got Scáthach for my team in F/GO I immediately played it nonstop…do I have EX luck? Anyway enjoy the chapter and before people ask, yes Artemis is based off the F/GO design.**

 **####IMPORTANT PLEASE READ####**

 **So my inbox was spammed by people requesting Francis Drake, because of this I'm redoing the poll with her and the two highest voted candidates, Iskandar and Siegfried. You only have one vote this time so make it count guys.**

 **#What would Siegfried ride? He had a demonic horse called Grani that I would have to research about and then make a Noble Phantasm for, plus I'd have to weaken Balmung since he isn't the Saber class anymore.**

 **-If it's not appearing on the profile page just come back in an hour and it should be there, FF . net just likes to spend ages placing my polls up.**

 **Question Time:**

 **Hayane234: That would be an amazing twist but the problem is that there would be no mention of Devils, Fallen, etc by the Heroic Spirits. And that doesn't seem to be something that they would just forget, plus some spells work differently between Nasuverse and DXD verse e.g. Magic Resistance. However, if you can think of ways around this let me know, that idea is a pretty amazing one.**

 **Guest: The Stage system might apply in this fic if my plans for the OC arc go ahead.**

 **Guest: Issei's appearance when in the Install mode? You'll just have to wait until next chapter won't you.**

 **conan . lagace: Indeed, Fate/Cero is hilarious.**

 **idea . getthe: You'll just have to see won't you.**

 **DestinyFriend: About Rider, I meant that I didn't want to use a second son of Zeus, when I chose Iskandar I forgot he was a son of Zeus. Avenger's vision will be interesting and here's a clue to its identity, it's not Angra Mainyu, let's see if anyone can guess who it is. You picked up on that Amaterasu? Yeah Tamamo gave me that impression and so I carried it over to Amaterasu, you also hit the nail on the head with Susanoo and Tsukuyomi. You stumbled across a plot point of great significance but it won't turn out the way you think it will, or be for who you're thinking of. Yeah Saber is going to get a very rude awakening.**

 **R Styx: It will change depending on the hero.**

 **FateLover: Everyone wanted Francis Drake it kind of shocked me. As for Amaterasu, you will get a bit more information in this chapter. You want to know the theories? Alright then. Yes how will the Maou act to the Godslayer so close to their siblings…**

 **Indecisive Bob: Zelretch the master of creating Political Shitstorms!**

 **Joking Guest: You inspired the Greeks dialogue.**

 **cj1of4: You will like this chapter.**

 **Eternaldestiny . deathsquad: Arcueid is one of the two candidates for Temptress.**

 **Kinunatzs: That was the plan.**

 **ultima-owner: Yep it sure will.**

 **Drmonicblood: Of course, after all where would be the fun if he didn't? As for Sona…maybe…I guess you'll have to keep going.**

 **P4Nd0RaS: Just because a card is meant to be limited to one character, if someone can provide me with a reason to justify it I will change their identity, there are currently two possible identities for Temptress.**

 **ZE Bri-0n: I forgot about the Rune Array, thanks for reminding me about that.**

 **SeanHicks4: I don't think he would since most of the time he was fighting with Albion, so I don't see when he had time to learn Gaelic, plus I think the Welsh dialect is different to Irish anyway.**

* * *

"When you said that you wanted to talk in private, I never imagined that you'd take us here," stated Lugh as he looked out of the building's window into the land of eternal twilight beyond.

"It's the only place where we can be sure that no one's eavesdropping on us," informed Morrigan.

The Celtic Sun God gave a worried frown, "there is a reason for that Morrigan, we both know that the Land of Shadows is a dangerous place. Even with the so called 'Queen' absent from her throne, I doubt Scáthach would appreciate us using her home like this."

"Relax Lugh, I got Scathach's permission to use her home as a hideout and meeting point before I left, besides this way we'll be able to send messages to each other without needing to sneak into Shinto territory. No doubt Amaterasu is keeping a close eye on her borders after the last incident," reassured the Goddess, making Lugh raise his eyebrows.

"Morrigan you're acting as if Amaterasu is a danger, I know we made her angry over sneaking into her territory but she shouldn't hold a grudge for long, she doesn't seem the type to me," he replied.

Morrigan just gave a soft laugh, "and that's why you are terrible with women Lugh. That aside we had some…complications with Issei and the Shinto faction, we don't want them to find out about him."

"I see, are there anymore _complications_ you want to tell me about?" asked Lugh, as his eyes narrowed.

"The Greeks also can't find out about him or we're going to have a serious problem, if do they find out about him then there will be bloodshed, especially if Scáthach has anything to say about it," informed the Goddess with a sheepish expression on her face.

"By the Gods Morrigan, just what did you three do?!" sighed Lugh as he began rubbing his temples.

"We did nothing, it's just a misunderstanding," she replied.

"A misunderstanding?" scoffed Lugh, causing Morrigan to begin eyeing to ground.

"All right, a misunderstanding of astronomical proportions," admitted the Goddess.

"Morrigan, I think it's best if you start explaining yourself," stated Lugh with a frown.

"Before I do I want you to swear that you won't repeat this to anyone else without our permission," demanded Morrigan as her companion raised his eyebrows again.

"Very well, I, Lugh, the Celtic God of the Sun, swear to the Trinity Goddess, Morrigan, that I will not repeat what is said here to anyone else. Satisfied?" asked the Sun God.

"Thank you Lugh, now I'll ask that you keep your questions until the very end and try to have an open mind about this," requested Morrigan before she started explaining everything Issei told her.

As she finished Lugh's eyes narrowed as he glared at her, "let me see if I understand this right. He has the soul of my son, bonded to him with a _card_ of all things, only this Sétanta is from another world. In which the souls of the dead are brought back to fight over the 'Holy Grail,' only this one is far more powerful than the Longinus that we know."

"That's correct," nodded Morrigan.

His eye twitched slightly as he continued, "secondly, this kid…"

"Issei," interrupted the Goddess.

The Celtic God took a deep breath to calm his rising temper, " _Issei_ managed to get his hands on not only one but seven of these cards, enabling him to use their abilities and weapons as if they were his own? And because of this he has already alerted several deities of his presence, which are likely to kill him on sight?"

"That is true," she replied, with another nod.

"Morrigan if this is your idea of a joke, then it is in poor taste," sighed Lugh tiredly.

"Believe me Lugh, I wish it was," informed the Goddess.

"I never took you and Scáthach to be fools Morrigan, for you to believe this crap," he replied, shaking his head in disappointment.

"It's the truth, Lugh. Issei told us himself," argued Morrigan as she tried to convince her fellow Celt.

"And how do you know he wasn't lying?" scoffed Lugh, making his companion burst out laughing.

"Believe Lugh, I would know. Issei is the worst liar I've seen in a long while," reassured the Goddess.

"Or maybe one of the best, if he managed to fool you two," replied the Sun God.

"Lugh don't you trust me? You sent me there to investigate for a reason didn't you?" asked Morrigan, as she stared at her companion in the eyes.

Lugh just sighed as he nodded his head, "I trust _you_ Morrigan, it's your judgement I don't trust. Are you sure that the two of you aren't only believing what you want to believe? This human could be manipulating the both of you."

"I understand your concern Lugh but trust me, this is the truth and we need your help," informed Morrigan.

"You want my help to protect him? How?" questioned Lugh curiously.

"Simply support my claim that he is a descendant of Cu Chulainn. With your backing, as well as Scathach's and myself, no one would question it," requested Morrigan, only to flinch as the room suddenly grew hot.

"You want me to adopt him? A human?" confirmed Lugh in a deadly calm voice, getting a sigh and nod from Morrigan.

"You want me to desecrate my son's name for this boy's protection! Absolutely not!" roared the Sun God as the temperature skyrocketed and his body as briefly covered with flames.

"Wait! Lugh!" cried Morrigan as the Sun God turned to walk towards the exit, ignoring her entirely.

"Please Lugh, there's…something else," called the Goddess, causing Lugh to pause at the door before he turned around to face.

"What now?" he growled.

Morrigan took a deep breath as she realized this was her last chance, "according to Issei, Cu Chulainn's soul is still alive inside the card, helping him, guiding him when he needs it. If Sétanta wants to help this boy, aren't we inclined to do the same?"

Lugh was silent until the flames surrounding his body finally dissipated, "very well, I'll do it…but on one condition…"

* * *

Cao Cao let out a sigh that rapidly turned into a growl of frustration as he looked down at the folder in front of him, once again examining everything they had collected about the descendant of Cu Chulainn. 'Damn Vali, I knew he would be interested in this but to send Arthur after him?' thought the descendant with a frown. Still at least that damned traitor was a good fighter, currently only Siegfried had ever been able to pose a challenge to him when it came to swordsmanship. The leader of the Hero faction shook his head as he returned his attention back to the folder in front of him before opening it up.

 _Target Profile:_

 ** _First name:_** _Issei (unconfirmed, possible alias.)_

 ** _Last name_** _: unknown._

 ** _Age:_** _Unknown, presumed to be between 15-18._

 ** _Appearance:_** _A seemingly normal teenage human with brown hair and eyes, he appears to go to one of the nearby high schools in Kuoh, due to wearing a school uniform. It is not currently known which school he now attends._

 _Update-Recently, spies within the Devils have intercepted messages to the Maou's and reported that he is currently attending Kuoh Academy with the Immortal Witch, the location of Morrigan is so far unknown._

 ** _Affiliations:_** _Currently appears to have been claimed by the Celtic Pantheon, the human also appears to be forming close relationships with the Gremory and Sitri clans. It is not known if he is acting on the orders of the Celts or doing so independently. The current relationship between him and the Shinto Pantheon is unclear, he has made no attempts to contact them, yet clearly lives in their territory. It appears unlikely that he is dealing with the Shinto Pantheon, however it must be noted that Kyoto has been displaying some unusual activity recently and while the cause is unknown, the timing is too convenient to be thrown away as mere chance._

 ** _Abilities:_**

 _Known- Sacred Gear Longinus, the Boosted Gear._

 _Unconfirmed- Rune Magic, incredible speed and endurance, both sword and spear fighting styles, worst-case scenario is that he has both Gae Bolg, Fragarach, as well as possible copies of any of the other powerful Celtic weapons including Gae Assail, Areadbhair or even the Spear of Lug himself, if the information about his 'second Sacred Gear' is correct. Possible unknown type of Magic or a second Sacred Gear, intercepted reports state that it can copy legendary weapons. Caution is advised to members of the Hero Faction wielding specific weapons such as Caliburn and Gram, to others it is unclear if he can copy other Sacred Gears as well but no chances are to be taken._

 _#He apparently has some special attack that involves high-speed strikes known as Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads. The similarity of this attack and that of the Heracles of legend is uncanny and has created many questions. Whether or not this attack is in fact inspired by the labor of Heracles, it is still incredibly dangerous and should not be taken lightly._

 ** _Background:_** _As of this report's last update, we still know next to nothing on this human's background mainly due to a lack of a known last name. However despite this, many theories have been proposed to explain his existence, ranging from plausible to downright absurd._

 _He is not a descendant of Cu Chulainn but rather the reincarnation of the Shield of Ulster himself, this would explain the Celtic Pantheon's unusual behavior towards him, some appearing to want to kill him while others trying to keep him safe. While this does explain the enormous amount of Divinity coming from the boy for a descendant, there has been no evidence to suggest that Demigods can be reincarnated. Until evidence is shown to support this theory, such as more dead Demigods appearing, this theory will remain low on the possible theories. **Conclusion: Possible, but highly unlikely.**_

 _Issei is not a descendant of Cu Chulainn and is instead a Demigod/God born from the Celtic Sun God, Lugh with either a human woman or The Phantom Queen of the Celts, Morrigan. This could explain why they hid him away in the Shinto territory, as such a union would bring the rest of the Celts down on their heads. The pair could have fabricated the lie to protect their son and also to enlist the aid of the Immortal Witch. It seems unlikely that this is the case however, if Issei was born from two Gods he would have more Divinity flowing from him. There has also been no sign of either Lugh or Morrigan leaving the Otherworld before the past week. **Conclusion: Possible, but unlikely.**_

 _One of the less probable theories, some say that Issei is actually an extradimensional being that came here from another world. They believe that he is actually a Cu Chulainn from another reality, in fact some even believe that he brought friends with him. **Conclusion: Farfetched and impossible.**_

 _Another of the more exotic theories, this one believes that Issei studies some form of magic that is similar to Divine Possession or Shamanism. Allowing the human to commune with the souls of the dead and let them guide his action, granting him their skills and weapons for a brief time. This is an intriguing possibility but unfortunately, it doesn't explain the Celt's interest in him. **Conclusion: Possible, but again unlikely.**_

 _Leading theory, Cu Chulainn is alive. The human has too much Divinity to be a descendant that has had their bloodline diluted over multiple generations, however he does not have enough to be a God. This has led to the conclusion that his bloodline must have only recently split off from the Celtic Demigod Cu Chulainn, likely within the past two generations. If this is true then it means that Cu Chulainn is not dead and rather is merely in hiding. We can safely say that Issei has a good relationship with his ancestor, which would explain why Lugh, Morrigan and Scáthach would want to help the human. **Conclusion: Possible, and extremely likely.**_

 ** _Course of action:_** _Until our leading theory is proved either true or false, this boy is not to be approached or harmed in anyway unless no other option is available. Doing so may cause Cu Chulainn or even Lugh himself to interfere with us, however it should be noted that he would make a powerful ally. If Issei is acting independently and not with the support of the Celts then we should try to make contact with him. If he proves uncooperative use extreme caution, Gae Bolg is not a weapon that should be underestimated under any circumstances._

Cao Cao just sighed again as he prepared for the consequences of Vali's actions, sure he said that Arthur was acting independently, but the human knew better. While the others might believe the lie about reforging Excalibur, Cao Cao knew Arthur well. That man would never disobey orders over something like that, no he was definitely working under Vali's orders.

'If Issei survives Arthur's 'test' or better yet even beats him, then I'm recruiting him, forcefully if I have to,' decided Cao Cao. After all, he needed a counter for that traitor when Khaos Brigade finally achieved their goals, his group would be the one standing on top once the dust cleared.

The odds might be stacked against him but his faction wouldn't lose, they were Heroes after all…

* * *

"Alright Asia, next you add the flour," informed Issei with a smile as the nun clumsily poured the ingredient into the bowl.

"Like this Issei?" she asked, eagerly.

The teen nodded, "good job for your first try Asia. Keep improving your cooking skills and I'm sure you'll make a wonderful wife, remember the key to a guy's heart is through his stomach."

"Thank you Issei," said the blushing nun before she muttered something under her breath.

"What was that Asia?" said Issei curiously.

"I-I was just wondering what your favourite food was Issei," stammered out the nun, making a confused expression appear on his face.

"Hmm…well I have to say that anything sweet really, I have quite the sweet tooth," informed the teen, whom frowned as he saw the nun appear to be taking notes in a notebook.

'What's that about?' he thought in confusion, only to hear Ddraig's disappointed sigh.

 **[You can't be that dense can you partner? Surely?]**

Before Issei could reply he felt something grab him by the collar of his shirt and immediately was yanked backwards by a strong grip as Scáthach walked into the kitchen. The witch looked around at the set up between Asia and Issei, and the teen felt the grip on his shirt grow tighter as she gave him a scary smile.

"I'm borrowing Issei for a couple hours, Asia can you let his father know?" informed Scáthach, whom got a nod from the nun.

The witch then dragged Issei upstairs and towards the attic, only turning to glance at him as she commented, "you and that nun have been spending a lot of time together haven't you?"

Issei nodded with a smile on his face, "yeah she's really nice, kind and fun to be around. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," growled the witch and Issei nearly choked as her grip on his collar grew even tighter before they arrived at the attic and instead of simply letting him take the stairs, Scáthach threw him up into the room.

"Ouch what was that for!?" cried Issei as he landed and rounded on the witch.

"What was what for?" frowned the witch as she climbed up the stairs and gave him a hostile glare.

"Um…Scáthach are you mad?" guessed the teen.

"Why would I be mad Issei?" replied the witch and causing Issei to give a sigh of relief.

"That's a relief I thought you were angry at me," laughed the human, only to double over in pain as she punched him in the gut and walked to the far end of the room.

"Why?" croaked out Issei in pain.

 **[Partner, I give up. You really are a lost cause.]**

Eventually the teen stopped rolling around in pain and got to his feet, only to gasp as he saw the numerous runes craved into the walls and roof of the attic. "What the hell did you do to my home!?" he screamed, causing the witch to give a proud smile.

"I made it unassailable, these Runes here create a Boundary Field that will stop people from teleporting to inside the house, mask our presence, reinforce the structure, and best of all links us to my home," explained the Godslayer, as Issei's face grew pale.

The teen swallowed fearfully, "Scáthach, when you say your 'home,' do you mean…"

"The Land of Shadows, yes," nodded the witch, as she touched one of the runes and suddenly a purple portal appeared in the middle of the room.

"You created a portal to the Land of Shadows in my home!? What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do that?" cried Issei.

"Even I can get home sick Issei, besides if I get bored I can just go hunting in my home. It is always full of fun things to fight," replied the witch with a wistful smile.

"Anyway, let's get going," stated Scáthach, causing Issei to immediately spin and face her.

"What?!" he exclaimed.

Scáthach just shrugged, "I got a message from Morrigan, apparently she needs to see us."

"No, no way. I'm not going, knowing my luck that portal will go wrong and send me who knows where!" cried Issei.

" _Issei-kun_ ," said Scáthach in a voice that gave the teen shudders as he turned to face her and saw Gae Bolg glowing red, inches from his face. "Start marching."

* * *

Lugh fingered the hilt of his sword as the two Celtic Gods watched the portal form in front of them and sighed, 'time for the moment of truth.' There was a brief flash of light and Lugh watched as a young boy stumbled out of the portal and fell to the ground, following this was another flash and Lugh's eyes narrowed as he saw Scáthach appear before she dismissed Gae Bolg.

"There was that so hard? You little drama queen," scoffed Scáthach.

"You shoved Gae Bolg in my face! I'd say that was an adequate amount of drama!" argued the boy.

"Oh please it's not like it's the first time I've done that," replied the witch with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"That doesn't make it better!" shouted Issei.

Lugh just watched the two banter in amazement, 'is that really Scáthach? She almost seems like a different person.' Morrigan noticed this and just smiled, "I told you he has that effect on people."

"I see," muttered Lugh before the two approached them. "So the Queen of the Land of Shadows has returned to her Kingdom has she?"

Scáthach turned to face him and shrugged, "just for today Lugh, I would ask you to behave yourself in my home. I would hate to have my home reduced to rubble again."

"I'll be good, provided you do likewise," replied Lugh.

"You're a Queen, Scáthach?" spoke up Issei, causing everyone to turn and face him.

"Self-proclaimed," muttered Morrigan softly, drawing an angry glare from the Godslayer before she turned back to face him.

"That's right welcome to my home, Issei," she announced as Issei looked around and saw they were in a large stone training area with a castle rising behind them.

"And what a home it is, a land of Eternal Twilight, where nothing is truly dead or alive, truly a paradise," scoffed Lugh as he stared at the unmoving sun with a frown, ignoring the growl coming from Scáthach as he approached Issei.

Quicker than anyone could react the Sun God unsheathed his sword and held it against the teen's throat, "boy you will answer my questions truthfully, do you understand?"

"Yes," replied Issei as he stared at the sword against his throat warily.

"Is everything that you told Morrigan and Scáthach the truth?" interrogated Lugh.

"Most of it," came the reply from Issei as the teen's eyes widened.

'I didn't want to say that! What's going on?!' he thought in confusion as the sword against his throat began giving off a very unusual pressure.

A deep sadness grew in the God's heart as he thought back to what Morrigan had told him about his son's fate, to be enslaved by that human and then to die like that, without even being able to fight. A small tear formed in the Lugh's eyes as he silently lamented the cruel fate his son had suffered before he pushed the sadness back and focused on Issei.

"What did you lie about?" demanded Lugh as his eyes narrowed.

Issei's mouth began moving of it's own accord as he replied, "the one who gave me the cards isn't dead."

Both Scáthach and Morrigan looked at the teen in surprise while Lugh frowned, "why did you lie?

Giving up on trying to lie Issei just sighed "because he asked me to keep his presence a secret and I owe that damn troll. Besides what would you have done to him if you found out about the cards before I explained it?"

"Kill him," stated Morrigan.

"Tear him to shreds," replied Scáthach.

"Destroy him, his friends and his family…I think I see your point now," admitted Lugh as he removed the sword from Issei's neck.

"That sword, what is that?" questioned Issei.

Lugh gave a small grin, "this blade is the 'Answerer,' Fragarach. None may tell a lie while this blade is at their throats."

The Sun God then sheathed his blade, "well let's see this 'Class Card,' Morrigan keeps going on about."

Issei nodded as he pulled out the Lancer card, "Include, Lancer."

As the light died down Issei wasn't expecting to hear three collective gasps of shock from the gathered Celts, Scáthach slowly approached the confused teen. "Issei…how long has that been happening?" she asked.

"How long has what been happening?" replied Issei in confusion.

"Issei, don't joke around here," scolded Morrigan

"I seriously don't know what you guys are talking about!" cried the teen and Scathach's eyes widened.

"Issei, have you ever seen yourself while using the cards?" questioned the witch.

"Well…no, not in a while at least. When I use them, I usually have more important things on my mind than checking my reflection. Why?" asked Issei, whom just had Scáthach lead him over to a nearby pond of water.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" exclaimed Issei as he stared at his reflection.

His brown hair had turned a shade of blue and his pupils were now narrowed slits, even his distinctive Asian features seemed less prominent. "So the cards never used to do that?" questioned Lugh, seeing the human's reaction.

"No, they usually just give me the weapons and that's it," explained the teen.

"Well at least this solves the problem of not looking like a Celt, you could easily pass as half Celtic with those features," grinned Scáthach, while Lugh just looked away.

"Issei, how long can you stay in that state?" questioned Morrigan.

"I never really timed it before, but I guess if I didn't have to fight anyone, then maybe a couple of hours? The Noble Phantasm is what exhausts me more than using the actual card," informed Issei.

"Noble Phantasm?" repeated Lugh in confusion.

"Gae Bolg," explained the teen, getting a nod of understanding for the Sun God.

"This is good, if anyone asks about it then we'll just say you usually disguise your Celtic features with magic. What do you think Morrigan?" asked the witch as she turned to the Goddess.

"Indeed, that's a good idea," agreed Morrigan, meanwhile Issei noticed a sad and pained look on Lugh's face.

"Um…Lugh are you okay?" he asked, in concern.

The Celtic God shook his head, "I'm fine boy…that form is just bringing back memories that I would rather stay buried."

"Lugh…I'm sorry," realizing how hard it must be for the father.

"Wipe that sad look off your face boy, there's no need of it," growled the Sun God.

"Hey Issei, what about the other cards? Do they do something similar?" wondered the witch.

"Dunno, let's find out," agreed the teen.

So he tried using the other cards however the Archer card didn't seem to do anything as the only thing that manifested was Tauropolos. They were beginning to think the Lancer card was an exception when he tried using the Caster card and immediately that theory was blown out of the water.

"I feel really weird," informed the teen as he felt his tail and ears moving with the wind.

'Wait a minute…ears and tail?' realized Issei as he turned back to the pond and saw his reflection back to normal except for the two fox ears on his head as well as a tail wagging behind him.

"So…Issei, how does it feel to no longer be human?" asked Scáthach in shock as they all stared at him, Lugh's eyes narrowing as he recognized the faint power coming off the teen.

"So that's what you meant by complications," he muttered.

"What about the card you used at the church? Aren't you going to try that?" asked Morrigan, ignoring her companion as Issei quickly unincluded the Caster card.

Issei quickly shook his head, "I'd rather not, the Berserker class isn't exactly known for their self-control. Besides it doesn't seem to be working right now anyway."

"Maybe there's a requirement to use it?" mused the witch.

"So Lugh, now that you've met Issei. What will you do?" asked Morrigan as they all turned to the Sun God.

"Alright, Morrigan. I'll play along for now. Boy, you better not disgrace my son's name," growled Lugh as he glared at Issei.

"I'd sooner impale myself on Gae Bolg then insult Cu Chulainn," promised Issei as he met the Sun God's gaze, getting a surprised look from the Celt.

"Well, it appears you might not be so bad after all boy," grinned Lugh.

"My name's not boy, it's Issei," replied the teen.

"Ooh? You've got some spine for a human, Issei. I'm interested in seeing how you'll deal with the others," laughed Issei.

"Others?" repeated Issei.

"Don't worry Issei, it's not important, come on let's head back," answered Scáthach as she dragged him back through the portal.

"So what do you think?" asked Morrigan as the portal disappeared.

Lugh was silent as he stared at the unmoving sun before sighing, "I think we're in over our heads here Morrigan but…he's a good kid, I'll give him that."

* * *

Issei sighed in relief as he rested his head on his bed, the stress of the last couple of days flooding out of his body as he let sleep claim him. However, the pleasant feeling of his head resting against a pillow was quickly replaced by the feeling of hard stone beneath him.

Groaning Issei opened his eyes and immediately found himself staring at the familiar surroundings of the arena from his dreams, however he noted that the some of the previously sealed doorways were now wide open. 'That's new,' thought Issei as he peered into the Caster doorway and saw what looked like a long doorway with very ornate pictures and walls, giving him the impression of immense wealth, almost like palace.

"So you finally returned here, did you? It's good to be able meet you face to face," greeted a familiar male voice, making Issei spin around and his jaw dropped as he saw a familiar blue clad man emerging from the Lancer doorway.

"What's the matter boy? You look like you've seen a ghost," joked Cu Chulainn with a smile.

"Am I dreaming?" muttered Issei in shock.

 **[I would hope not, it would raise some questions if you were dreaming about guys instead of girls, partner.]**

"Ddraig?! Wow, you're huge!" exclaimed Issei as he turned around and saw what he had thought was a dragon statue move to face him.

 **[Believe me partner, if you think I'm big just wait until you see Great Red.]**

"Well at least this proves that I'm not going crazy and hearing imaginary voices in my head," laughed Issei in relief.

 **[Or maybe your insanity has just reached a new level?]**

"Have I ever told you how much I hate you, Ddraig," growled the teen and causing the dragon to give off a bellowing laughter.

 **[All the time partner.]**

"Issei…" said Cu Chulainn, causing the two partners to turn and face him.

"What's the matter Lancer?" he asked, in concern.

"About what you said to Scáthach…thank you. You've done a great thing for her and I really appreciate it," replied the blue clad demigod with a grateful smile.

"Lancer, you know that she's not the same Scáthach right?" pointed out Issei.

"Even so, I still feel indebted to her," informed Cu Chulainn.

"I see, well you don't need to thank me for that, after all I'm sure anyone would have done the same," shrugged Issei, getting an amused smirk from Lancer.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. You definitely left an impression on her that's for sure, much to Caster's anger," he laughed, making Issei adopt a confused expression.

The demigod finally stopped his laughing fit as he held out a hand to Issei, "Cu Chulainn's just a name they gave me boy, my friends call me Sétanta."

A happy smile spread across Issei's face as he shock the outstretched hand, "then I'm glad to be given this honor, thanks Sétanta."

The demigod then ruffled Issei's hair as he continued, "still I'm proud of you boy, you're certainly becoming quite the ladies' man."

He then leaned in towards Issei's ear before whispering, "But just so you know…I'll be rooting for the two of you."

"Sétanta what are you talking about?" asked the confused teen.

"You'll see, anyway the others should be arriving any second now," replied Sétanta as he stepped back.

"Others?" repeated Issei, only to turn as he heard the sound of footsteps rapidly getting louder.

" **GOSHUUJIN-SAMA!"** cried a happy female voice as Issei saw a purple blur rapidly approaching him.

"What the-oomph!" he coughed out as the teen was knocked to the ground by the purple shape slamming into his stomach.

"Did anyone get the number of that truck that hit me?" muttered Issei, as small chibi Scathach's began dancing around his head.

Lancer just had his amused smirk stay on his face as Issei looked down at what had hit him and blinked in confusion, "Tamamo?"

"Goshuujin-sama, I knew you'd come visit me! I knew it! I knew you cared for me more than those thieving hussies!" cheered the fox girl as she affectionately rubbed her face against body.

"Huh?" muttered an extremely confused Issei.

"Hast thou no pride Caster, were thou not a God? Then act like it," scolded a dignified female voice.

"Atalanta?" exclaimed Issei as the girl clad cat girl emerged from her own doorway.

"Archer," greeted Lancer, stiffly.

"Thieving Neko," growled Tamamo.

"Must I be forced myself, I have no interest in that boy," sighed the huntress.

"So you say," replied Tamamo.

"Anyway, it's nice to see an Archer that actually uses bows for a change," commented Lancer.

"What do you mean Sétanta?" questioned Issei.

"Let's just say I have bad experiences with the Archer class and leave it at that," sighed the demigod.

"Oh please, the Archer class is the most useless of all the classes," scoffed Tamamo as she continued rubbing against Issei.

"Thou shalt take back those lies this instant," snarled Atalanta.

"What have you done since he first used you huh? You scared off a child, whereas I have been helpful in more than just combat," smirked Tamamo, as she finally got up from Issei and turned to face Atalanta.

"I don't want to hear that from a useless Caster that can't even use Territory Creation!" growled the huntress.

"Hey Sétanta? Why are they fighting?" questioned Issei as the two males and dragon just stared at the arguing Heroic Spirits.

"Boy, I doubt if even the Grail could teach you and I the way a woman's mind works," answered Lancer with a sigh.

"I see…" trailed off Issei.

"How dare thou insult me! The Archer class are the best range fighters in the Holy Grail War, much more useful than pathetic Casters!" shouted Atalanta.

"Archers are the only range fighters in the Holy Grail War!" shot back Tamamo.

"Exactly and therefore the best," replied the huntress with a smug smile.

The two glared at each other before Tamamo gained a smug grin, "fine then let's ask Goshuujin-sama who's better, Archer or Caster."

"Very well, so boy which do you prefer, Archer or Caster?" agreed Atalanta as the two turned to face the teen.

"Wow you're right Sétanta, fishing is actually really relaxing and fun," commented Issei as he and Lancer sat by one of the rivers that was forming from the Lancer doorway, ignoring the two arguing females as the focused on their fishing.

"Glad you like it boy, it was one of my favourite pastimes aside from fighting. In fact, it was one of the few things that my bastard of a master allowed me to do in my free time," laughed Sétanta as he reeled in his line and held up a fish.

"For some reason, I'm feeling as if my biggest rival has just revealed themselves," muttered Tamamo quietly as she watched the two male's bonding.

"How dare thou ignore me! This disrespectful behavior shall not be tolerated!" yelled Atalanta, causing the two males to turn and face her.

"Come on Atalanta, look I've got a fish for you," offered Issei as he held the fish out to her.

"If thou thinks that the Chaste Huntress will be so easily swayed than thou art horribly mistaken," growled the huntress, even as she eyed the fish hungrily.

"Say that when you actually take your eyes off the fish," smirked Sétanta.

"Another word, _dog_ , and it will be you last," snarled the green clad girl.

"Oh? I'm a dog am I? Well you'd best be careful Atalanta, dogs have an unfortunate habit of preying on _cats_ ," warned Lancer as he stood up.

 **[You know I never thought I'd ever miss the silence of being trapped in a Sacred Gear.]**

"Come on guys no fighting, here Atalanta take it as an apology for Cu Chulainn," said Issei, trying to break up the fight.

"My goodwill will not be bought so chea- nyah!" cried out Atalanta as she leapt into the air before turning around with a low snarl.

"Oh I'm sorry, my hand slipped," said Tamamo with a deadpan expression as she let go of the huntress' tail.

"Thou…thou…thou art dead, damned Fox!" stated the trembling Atalanta.

"Wait those cat features are real? I thought it was just your taste in cosplay. Hey Atalanta can I touch them?" asked Issei, eagerly.

 **[You have some weird fetishes partner.]**

"What no! I was just curious!" cried Issei, only to shudder as he felt a cold gaze piercing into his head and turned to see the huntress glaring at him.

"The minute thou attempts it, is the minute that thou's life is forfeit," she promised without a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Ne ne, Goshuujin-sama. Forget about that thieving Neko, pet me instead," offered Tamamo as she pushed her fluffy tail towards him.

"So where's Berserker?" asked Issei, ignoring the antics of the fox girl in front of him.

"That big guy rarely comes out of there. Probably a good thing if you ask me," answered Lancer as he gestured towards the Berserker doorway.

"Watch thou's tongue Lancer, that man is one of the greatest heroes among my people…and a dear friend. To see him reduced to such a state is saddening," warned Atalanta with a growl.

Issei was silent for a few minutes before he began walking towards the doorway, "I'm going to go see him."

 **[Partner, I don't think that's a very good idea.]**

"I agree he is of the Berserker class for a reason. Who knows how he will react to you, and we can't go in there after you," included Lancer as the demigod grabbed onto his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," assured Issei, shaking off Sétanta's hand as he entered the darken doorway and was immediately greeted with loud roars of rage, pain and grief. The teen cautiously made his way through the pitch-black doorway and saw what looked like ruins of buildings strewed around the area, frowning Issei took a corner and immediately gasped.

Directly in front of him was the skeleton of a massive nine headed serpent, a hazy smog surrounding it that Issei could immediately tell was dangerous. The teen turned to leave back the way he came only to stop as he saw the familiar hulking giant staring at him before giving a bellowing roar.

"Um…ah…hi Berserker, how are you going?" greeted Issei, fearfully as the giant began to take a step towards him.

"Haha, that's good…I think?" replied the teen before taking a deep breath and staring at the giant straight in the eye.

"I don't know if you can understand me or not but…I know about what happened to _her_ and I just want you to know that it wasn't your fault," stated Issei, bring the giant in front of him to a sudden stop.

Seeing this the teen continued, "I know how you feel, that you think that you failed her. The feeling of helplessness as you watched _her_ die in front of you, and then the questions come, 'if only I had done something differently.'"

"But you did all you could, you protected Ilya right up until the very end, because that's who you are. You're a protector, something that not even the deepest, darkest madness could strip from you, and that remains true even to this day," comforted Issei to the unmoving giant.

"You might not believe me, you might think you are a failure as a protector and a hero, but if it wasn't for you then Asia would still be dead and me along with her. You saved us, you are a true Hero…even if you don't believe it yourself," he said with certainty, keeping his gaze locked onto Berserker's.

"So please…I know I'm asking a lot but…please help me protect others like you did. I don't want to feel that kind of pain again and nor do I want to wish it upon others," begged Issei as he lowered his hand, awaiting a response from the silent giant.

Eventually the teen sighed as he realized that he wouldn't be getting a response from the giant and began to walk to the exit, giving the hero another grateful smile as he did so. "I doubt Ilya would want you to feel this way, she cared for you just as much as you did for her, you were one of the few good things the Einzberns gave her. Be proud of that fact, you made a suffering girl happy and that's something more heroic then any Labors of the legends. I'll leave you alone now…goodbye Heracles and thank you for saving us," finished Issei.

The hulking giant didn't move a muscle as he watched Issei leave, not a single cry of rage or display of aggression, just a deep silence from the unmoving hero. Issei gave the giant one last encouraging smile before he headed back down the doorway to the main arena, leaving the silent hero alone in the silence. As the hero stared at the doorway it seemed that the mad light in his eyes had, for a brief moment…disappeared as a single tear rolled down his face.

"S'efcharistó fíle mou," whispered Heracles in the first bout of sanity he'd had in a long time before the mad light returned and once again the roars of rage echoed across the area, only this time there was no grief or pain to them.

* * *

Issei sighed as he walked home alone from another tiring day at school, Scáthach having left early, apparently the Celt had wanted to start training the nun so that she could defend herself, quoting 'if the Devils try anything she'll a liability' and that 'our faction needs to be strong.' The teen simply shook his head in exasperation, while Scáthach was a good teacher, if Cu Chulainn was anything to go by, he doubted they'd be seeing results from the training.

While the Celt might be able to teach Asia the skills to defend herself, she could never teach her the intent to go with it. Asia was just not suited for fighting, her mindset was simply too at odds with hurting others, let alone killing them.

"But that's not necessarily a bad thing, she truly does embody her Sacred Gear," laughed Issei, only to stop as he heard a female voice coming from the nearby by park.

 **[Partner, before your curiosity gets the better of you. I'd like to point out what has happened every time you've investigated things like this.]**

'Come on, Ddraig. It's probably just a girl busking for money, she's quite skilled to, from the sounds of it. I seriously doubt anything bad can come from that, even with my luck,' replied Issei, causing the dragon to sigh.

 **[Alright partner but don't say that I didn't warn you.]**

Ignoring the dragon, Issei walked over to the park and found it empty except for a single blonde girl wearing what looked like a witch's costume, as he got closer the teen could finally make out the words of her song.

 _Hush, child  
The darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep  
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep._

The teen didn't notice the faint glow beginning to be emitted from the Saber card as he continued approaching the singing girl, whom was clearly too focused on her song to notice him. As she continued, Issei frowned as a strange feeling of familiarity filled him, the song's lyrics beginning to form in his mind long before the girl spoke them.

'I must have heard this song before,' thought the teen with a shrug as he sat down by a tree and continued listening.

 _Guileless son,  
I'll shape your belief  
And you'll always know that your father's a thief  
And you won't understand the cause of your grief  
But you'll always follow the voices beneath._

Suddenly images appeared in Issei's mind, a baby listening to her mother singing, a young child listening to a woman singing to her, a young masked knight humming this as she walked into a castle with both pride and excitement filling each step.

 _Guileless son,  
Your spirit will hate her  
The flower who married my brother the traitor  
And you will expose his puppeteer behavior  
For you are the proof of how he betrayed her loyalty._

The same masked knight was watching with a smile hidden behind her helm as a fellow knight was killing his former comrades as he rushed towards the woman about to be executed, desperation clear on his face. The masked knight then looked towards her king and her smile turned to an annoyed frown at the lack of emotion on 'his' beautiful face. Issei shook the images from his head and smiled as he began singing the next verse, causing the blonde girl immediately stop and spin to face him in surprise.

 _Guileless son,  
Each day you grow older  
Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold  
For the child of my body, the flesh of my soul  
Will die in returning the birthright he stole._

As Issei finished the song one last image appeared in his head, two fighters stood on a blood soaked battlefield, each wounded beyond measure. The king had pierced the masked knight's body with a spear and as the knight died her mask faded away to reveal an identical face beneath it. Suddenly the knight's body started moving on its own accord, the magic spells implanted in her body long ago finally activating. The knight's dead corpse quickly brought its sword into the king's surprised body, and so both 'father' and 'son' died together in the blood soaked burning field.

"Who are you? And how do you know that song?!" cried a female voice, snapping Issei out of his vision.

The teen just shrugged his shoulders, "beats me, it just popped into my head. What was that song anyway?"

"It was…just an old lullaby from my family," replied the blonde girl, a sad expression on her face as she looked away from him.

"You don't sound too happy about it," observed Issei, a frown growing on his face.

"It's not something to be proud of," replied the girl, neither of them noticing the Saber card's glow seeming to grow darker at this reply.

"But she did everything you wanted, she succeeded like you wanted! She fulfilled your desire, she brought down her father! Why aren't you proud of her!" shouted Issei, as an inexplicable feeling of anger surged and a few streaks of blonde hair began to appear on his head, before the teen's eyes widened at what he just said.

'Where did that come from?' he thought in confusion as the girl just stared at him with wide eyes before her sad expression grew larger.

"It wasn't right…to use a childlike that…for simple vengeance. How can I be proud of something like that? Regardless of if it worked or not, I cannot, will not, and never will never be proud of her," frowned the girl sadly.

"Then why do you sing it?" asked Issei, his frown deepening as a feeling of sadness and anger briefly spiked through his body.

"As a reminder," answered the girl with a sigh.

"A reminder of what?" replied Issei, his curiosity peaked by this witch girl.

The blonde girl just had an uncharacteristic snarl appear on her face as she replied, "to not end up like _she_ did. That just because we share the name doesn't mean that we are the same, I don't want to end up as cruel and corrupt as _she_ did, torturing children, brainwashing them into slaves for my purpose."

Unnoticed by anyone the Saber card began glowing again as Issei felt a brief sense of confusion fill his mind as the girl continued.

"I want people to look at me and see me for who I am, not who she was or what I might become. My brother was the only one who ever treated me as my own person, despite being the one person who should hate me more than anyone else," said the girl with a smile appearing on her face for the first time.

"A child doesn't pick their parents and the sins of the parent should never be passed down to their children," comforted Issei, as his own smile appeared on his face.

"Now you're beginning to sound like my brother," laughed the girl, causing another spike of anger to briefly course through Issei's body.

"Then he is a wise person, isn't he?" asked Issei, a bit of steel creeping into his tone.

Oblivious to this the blonde girl nodded, "that's right, and strong to. He protects me even when he should be worrying about himself first, but I guess that's just how siblings are."

"I wouldn't know I'm afraid, I never had any siblings," answered Issei with another shrug.

"Well, maybe you will in a couple of years, I'm sure you'd make a great brother," assured the girl.

Issei just shook his head, "that's not possible, my mother died when I was still young and my father refused to remarry, I guess not even death could do them apart."

A sad and guilty expression appeared on the girl's face, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, you couldn't have known. Besides it's in the past now, nothing can be done about it," replied the teen with a wave of his hand.

The two were silent for a couple of minutes before the girl turned to face him again with a slight blush on her cheeks, "you're a kind person aren't you."

Issei just laughed, "I could say the same about you miss…"

The girl's expression brightened, "right I never introduced myself did I? My name is Le Fay Pendragon, it's nice to meet you."

"Pendragon huh?" mused Issei, only to cry in pain and collapse to the ground as a pounding headache appeared, the blonde streaks in his hair multiplying and the Saber card's glow growing stronger.

"Hey are you okay?" questioned a worried Le Fay as she rushed over to him, only to stop short as she grabbed him on the shoulder and immediately felt the magical energy emanating from the cardholder.

The descendant could only watch as more and more blonde streaks grew in Issei's hair before the teen's image was briefly replaced with a familiar masked knight glaring at her with hatred. The image passed quickly however and Le Fay felt the magical energy from the cardholder dissipate as the blonde streaks disappeared from the teen's head. 'What the…?' thought the girl in shock, only to be snapped out of it as Issei replied to her previous question.

"Yeah…yeah…I'm fine, it's just a headache," assured the teen as he slowly struggled to his feet and held out his hand.

"Le Fay? Well that's a nice name, mine is Issei Hyoudou," he introduced with a smile, causing Le Fay to freeze.

"Did you just say _Issei_ Hyoudou?" she asked, fearfully.

"Yeah, why?" questioned Issei with a confused expression.

"No reason, I have to go now, my brother will be waiting for me," replied the girl, quickly.

"Do you need me to walk you home? It's dangerous for a girl like you to be walking home alone," offered Issei.

"No! I mean, it's kind of you to ask but I'll be alright," cried Le Fay as she waved her arms for emphasis.

"Well…if you're sure, maybe we'll meet again in the future?" said Issei as he lowered his hand.

"For your sake…I hope we don't," whispered the descendant, softly as she walked away.

'And I hope I'm wrong about you,' she added, silently thinking back to that familiar knight and most importantly…it's helm.

* * *

"So how's your training going Asia?" asked Issei with a smile as the trio walked to school, causing the nun to blush as turned away from him.

"Good, Scáthach says that I'm a natural with Rune magic," replied the nun.

"Really?" said Issei with raised eyebrows as he turned to the Celt, whom shook her head with a defeated expression in response.

Understanding the gesture Issei smiled as he turned back to Asia, "wow that's really impressive, but just don't do anything reckless. Rune Magic isn't the strongest thing after all."

"Issei, shut up," smiled Scáthach coldly before she froze and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Scáthach what's wrong? Are you injured?" asked Asia, Twilight Healing beginning to glow.

"It's nothing I just remembered something, you two head on without me, I'll catch up later," ordered the Godslayer.

"You sure? We can wait," replied Issei.

The Immortal Witch waved off this with a smile, "I'll be fine, just some annoying pests I need to deal with."

"Alright then, we'll see you at the ORC clubroom," informed Issei as he and Asia hurried towards school.

Scáthach just watched them go with a smile before the Kuoh Academy uniform around her disappeared and was replaced by the magical purple leather armour. "You can come out now," she said, outloud.

"Hello Godslayer," greeted a red haired man as he emerged from behind a nearby building.

Scáthach looked at the Devil with a smile, "so you know who I am, but I'm afraid I'm at a loss. Judging from your demonic power you're obviously a Devil, and a powerful one at that. Your features are similar to that of the Gremory Heiress, so I can safely assume you are a member of the Gremory clan, am I correct?"

The Devil nodded, "indeed, I am Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the current Maou and holder of the current title of…"

"A Super-class Devil, I know. So what does one of the leaders of the Maou want with me?" interrupted Scáthach.

"Please follow me," requested the Maou, and Scáthach shrugged before following the Devil.

Together the two of them headed into the nearby woods at the edge of town and Scáthach frowned as she felt a Boundary Field spring into existence around them. 'So he's ready for a fight if one breaks out? Fine by me, I was getting a little bored here anyway,' thought the Godslayer, eagerly.

"We have some things that need to be discussed," announced the Maou, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Then it can wait until after school…unless your sister and her little slaves don't know you're here," replied the witch, whom smirked at the Devil's silence.

"So I was right, how interesting," she mused.

"Yes, Serafall and I decided that I should make an unofficial visit," explained Sirzechs.

"Which again begs the question, why did you want to meet me?" questioned Scáthach.

"To find out what you plan to do now that you're here," informed the Maou as his eyes narrowed.

"Aww are the little Maou worried about their sibling?" laughed the witch.

"Of course, I don't want anything bad to happen to my little Rias-tan and I'm sure Serafall feels the same about her sister," replied Sirzechs with a happy, goofy smile.

"I see. However, what would you do if I felt like entertaining myself with them?" baited Scáthach.

Instantly the goofy expression on the Maou's face morphed into one of deadly seriousness, startling the witch. "Let me make this perfectly clear Celt, you touch one hair on either of them and you will regret it," growled Sirzechs.

"Is that a threat Maou?" asked the Godslayer as her body tensed.

"Of course not…" laughed Sirzechs in amusement.

Suddenly a pure black sphere materialized above his hand as he locked eyes with her, "a threat implies that I have no intention of carrying it out."

"This is not a threat, Godslayer…this is a promise," informed Sirzechs as the sphere disappeared.

An eager smile spread across her face as Scáthach looked on at the Maou with approval, "oh and what if I want to fight? I've heard quite a lot of promising things about you Maou. You're not doing a good job of getting me to agree to this, in fact now I'm all the more eager to fight you."

A cold smile crept along the Maou's face at this response, "who said I would fight you Celt, after all I don't need to kill you to get vengeance."

"What do you mean?" frowned Scáthach.

"That boy, what was his name? Issei? He's such a nice boy isn't he? In fact, you seem to care about him a great deal, don't you Scáthach? It would be such a shame if something happened to him, wouldn't it?" mused the Maou.

Faster than any of them could blink the witch disappeared in a blur of movement before she reappeared in front of Sirzechs with Gae Bolg resting over his heart. Sirzechs had a shocked expression on his face and even Scáthach herself seemed surprised by her own sudden hostility before she shook it off and glared at him.

"Keep talking I _beg_ you!" growled the Godslayer.

'Damn it, I pushed her too far, plan B it is then,' thought the Maou as he sent a discreet hand signal to his hidden companion. Scathach's eyes widened and she immediately dived away from the Crimson Satan as the wet ground beneath her instantly erupted into a pillar of ice spikes. The Immortal Witch quickly rolled along the ground as more and more ice spikes erupted from the ground behind her, each spike desperate to impale her body.

Growling in frustration Scáthach then smiled as she remembered the trick Issei used on her and quickly drew a Rune of Light into the mud as she continued rolling across the ground. The rune exploded into light and blinded her attackers, stopping the ice spikes in their tracks as their wielder failed to track the witch's fast moving form among the bright light.

Finally getting to her feet Scáthach glared at Sirzechs before turning to look at the nearby tree line as a girl in some sort of pink costume emerged from hiding. The witch watched as the two Devils moved to stand by each other before they both had red and blue magic circles form around their hands respectively.

"Did you really think I'd take my chances against you alone?" scoffed Sirzechs as the two Devils watched Scáthach warily grip her spear tighter.

"And do you really wish to make an enemy of the Celts?" growled Scáthach, only to frown as she heard soft snickering coming from the pink clothed female.

"You may fool others with that lie, but we know you aren't acting under the Celtic Pantheon's orders plus Lugh and Morrigan are far too busy now to help you. Besides the dead don't tell tales, they'll never know what happens here," snarled the female Devil as she created hundreds of ice spears and sent them at the witch.

Scáthach laughed as she dodged and weaved through the incoming projectiles, "the dead? Oh please, enemies stronger then you have tried before Devil. You couldn't grant me death even if I wanted you to."

Suddenly the witch disappeared in a blur of movement as she rushed towards Serafall, Gae Bolg glowing a bloody red, only to leap high in the air as her instincts screamed at her of an incoming danger. Scáthach looked down at the ground and her eyes widened as she saw a pure black small sphere strike where she had been moments before, completely disintegrating everything within a few meters and creating a perfectly spherical creator in the ground.

As the witch landed she quickly turned to see Sirzechs glowing with a crimson aura around his body as numerous other small black spheres began forming around his hands, his aura radiating nothing but pure destruction. Scáthach instantly frowned as she used her speed to dodge every sphere, her instincts indicating that blocking them would be disastrous for her.

"So this is the power of a Super-class Devil, I must say I am impressed," she commented with an eager smile now forming on her face.

Neither of the Devils said anything in response however, instead they continued assaulting her, Sirzechs using his power of destruction to rain spheres down on her while Serafall turned the ground beneath them to ice, attempting to remove Scathach's advantage of speed from the equation.

Realizing how dangerous this was, Scáthach immediately rounded on Serafall and charged towards the Devil, Sirzechs tried to stop her but the witch was simply moving too fast and all his spheres hit, were afterimages of the Godslayer.

Serafall could only dive to the side and she felt Gae Bolg cut the side of her stomach, directly where her heart had been moments before. Sliding along the ice covered ground, Serafall smiled as she encased the witch's legs as well as Gae Bolg in ice and trapped her in place, causing Scathach's eyes to widen as she saw multiple black spheres speeding towards her trapped form.

"You lose Godslayer," smirked the Crimson Satan.

* * *

"Issei, what's wrong?" asked Asia in concern.

"Scáthach sure is taking a while," replied the teen with a worried frown.

"Don't worry Issei, I'm sure she's fine, after all she's strong," assured the nun as she smiled comfortingly at Issei.

"Yeah you're right, I'm worrying about nothing. After all, nothing's ever going to take her down," replied Issei with a fake laugh as he tried to bury a growing feeling of worry.

As the two finally arrived at the school grounds, they both heard the crashing of thunder before rushing into the old school building and heading to the ORC. "Look Issei, it's raining," observed Asia as they passed a window and he turned to see the sky pouring down a deluge.

To him it almost seemed as if the sky was weeping.

* * *

Scáthach blinked as she stared at the oncoming projectiles before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she reached out with her free hand as if to grasp something. The two Devils could only watch in shock as they saw a second red spear, bearing an eerie resemblance to Gae Bolg, appear in her free hand before slicing through the ice encasing her legs and releasing the witch from her frozen prison.

Now freed Scáthach once again dodged the spheres before charging Serafall, the Ice Devil panicking from the sudden movement as she froze the rain pelting down on them and turned them into ice spikes, only to see them only hit afterimages as the witch closed the distance between them. This caused Sirzechs to frown as he couldn't fire anymore spheres without the risk of hitting his fellow Maou with their blast radius. Serafall continuously tried to regain the distance between them as she sent wave after wave of ice projectiles at the witch, only to see Scáthach slice through them all by twirling her two red spears in front of her and continue her assault.

Becoming desperate Serafall sighed as she let the twin spears pierce her stomach before latching onto the witch's arms and trapping her in place once more. The Ice Devil then created an ice spike behind her that ran through her own body before piercing the Celt in her heart.

Scathach's eyes just widened as she coughed up blood before becoming limp in Serafall's arms as the Devil dropped the body to the ground and collapsed before she froze her wounds shut. "We…got her!" she panted before turning to Sirzechs with a smile on her face.

The Crimson Satan returned the smile only for it to drop in shock as he stared at something behind her, seeing this and hearing soft laughter coming from behind, Serafall spun around to see Scáthach getting up from the ground.

Eyes widening the Ice Devil sent another ice spike at the witch, only to see Scáthach grin at her as the ground beneath the Godslayer erupted with numerous ice spikes that pierced her body. "Not bad Devil, but it will take more than that to kill the Immortal Witch," laughed Scáthach as she pulled out the spikes that were impaling her body before once again disappearing in a blur of movement.

The Maou then felt the witch kick her in the stomach, sending Serafall flying across the battlefield and slamming into Sirzechs, whom was waiting for an opening to pelt Scáthach with more black spheres. Seeing the two Maou collapsed on the ground together, Scathach's smile widened as she suddenly leapt high into the air above them.

Sirzechs and Serafall watched with wide eyes as the eager smile on Scathach's face intensified even further and they saw six more red spears materialize around the witch as they hovered around her, waiting for a signal. The shadow of the witch's body and spears briefly blotted out what little of the sun remained as the rain continued pelting down on the three combatants. Suddenly the hovering blood red weapons all rotated to face the two Devils before rushing towards them in a deadly rain of projectiles.

Unable to dodge out of the way with their entangled forms Sirzechs instead created six more spheres with as much Power of Destruction as he could and sent them on a collision course with the incoming spears. The blood red spears met the black spheres with a loud booming as they were both briefly locked together in a deadly combination of black and red lights.

However the stalemate wasn't going to last forever and Scathach's eyes widened as she saw her blood red spears get pushed back by the Maou's power before being engulfed by the black spheres and disintegrating. The witch landed back on the ground with a shocked and wary expression on her face as she watched the two Devils untangle themselves and get up from the ground.

"I can count on one hand the number of people who have ever pushed back my spears, and never have any of them done so like that before…it would seem I underestimated you Sirzechs Lucifer. Unlike your companion, you are a credible threat and in any other circumstances I would have loved fighting you," observed Scáthach.

The witch then fixed him with a chilling glare and her eager smile finally dropped all together as she stabbed Gae Bolg in the ground and materialized another red spear instead, "but you threatened Issei, and that means that you must die regardless."

The two remaining spears in her hands both erupted into swirling masses of crimson energy as the Godslayer's body became outlined in a deep purple colour. Scáthach then looked up as her deep crimson eyes met the Devil's in an unblinking stare, "it's time to remind you two of just why I am known as the Godslayer!"

Sirzechs instantly pushed his fellow Maou away from him as Scáthach leapt towards the Devil with her spears eagerly releasing their combined bloodlust, the Maou frowning as his body was slowly covered in a similar red glow with hints of a pure black beginning to leak out of it. Instead of trying to dodge the glowing spears Sirzechs just rushed towards Scáthach and met her charge with one of his own, briefly shocking the witch long enough for the Maou to grab the shaft of the two spears and knee the Godslayer in the gut.

To her credit Scáthach only let out a mild grunt of pain as she kept her grip on her spears and the two of them were locked in a contest of strength as each tried to overpower the other. 'She's too powerful, I'm going to have to use it. Damn it!' thought the Maou as he saw the spears beginning to inch ever closer to his chest.

"Serafall! Get out of here now!" he ordered his fellow Maou, seeing her readying a spell from the corner of his eyes.

"WHAT!? Sirzechs I'm not abandoning you!" she shouted in protest.

"SERAFALL NOW!" shouted the Maou, frantically as the black energy that was leaking from his body began to increase in size and bits of the ground beneath the two combatants began to dissolve into nothingness.

The Ice Devil just looked at him with a conflicted expression on her face before she turned to run, only for Scáthach to growl in frustration as she broke off the deadlock from her end by dismissing her spears and rushing after the fleeing Devil. Serafall heard her friend shout in warning but it was too late as she spun around to see a fist slam into her face, Runes of Reinforcement glowing along the witch's arm.

The Devil was sent flying through several trees before skidding along the ice ground and lying motionlessly on the ground as her bleeding body came to a stop, the only signs of life was the shallow and irregular rising and falling of her chest.

Hearing Sirzechs cry of rage, Scáthach spun around and rematerialized her two glowing spears, only to see Sirzechs' body nearly completely covered in the same black energy from the spheres. The witch watched with wide eyes as she saw the area around the Maou begin to disintegrate, the power coming off the Devil having skyrocketed as he glared at the Celt.

'This is a Super-class Devil?' thought the witch in shock, not even the Gods she had killed had this level of power, in fact this Devil might have even given Lugh a challenge. 'I can't take him lightly anymore,' she realized as a blank expression appeared on her face.

The twin red spears in her hands glowed as she leapt towards him, before the two spears turned into red beams that rushed towards the Maou, only to be consumed by the black aura before they even reached their target and dissolved.

Frowning Scáthach summoned the two spears again and immediately leapt backwards as Sirzechs aura of destruction rushed towards her in a black tide, disintegrating everything in its path. The witch then summoned another six spears and sent them at the Maou, only to see them once again get completely dissolved.

The Maou didn't give her anytime to recover from her shock however as he rushed towards the witch, a wave of pure black following close behind. Scáthach quickly retreated with Sirzechs following close behind, the two fighters becoming nothing more than black and purple blurs darting across the icy battlefield.

Scathach's armour was aglow with Runes of Reinforcement further increasing its durability as well as her speed and strength as she decided to go back on the offensive. Sirzechs frowned as he saw his punch pass through nothing but an afterimage before ducking as a purple blur passed over his head and slammed into the tree behind him.

The unfortunate plant didn't just break but was completely uprooted and sent flying through the air at a phenomenal speed from the force of the punch as Scáthach clicked her tongue in annoyance before leaping to the side as Sirzechs retaliated by flooding the area around him with his Power of Destruction. The Maou then sent wave after wave of Power of Destruction towards the retreating witch, only to growl in frustration as all he hit was the afterimage of Scathach's glowing form.

However, this could speed could not last forever as Scáthach had to be careful with her footing at these speeds thanks to the icy terrain created from Serafall which severely hindered her speed. Eventually she was forced to slow down or risk breaking her footwork altogether, allowing Sirzechs to immediately close the distance between them.

The Godslayer was unable to summon anymore spears as she had to focus on dodging the Maou's black coated fists and kicks, even as the two fighters were beginning to be surrounded by the black energy of the Power of Destruction. Suddenly the Maou sent a sweep kick at the witch's legs which Scáthach dodged by jumping over it, only for her eyes to widen as she brought her arms up to block the Maou's black coated fist sailing towards her head.

For the first time Scáthach cried out in pain as the Power of Destruction coated fist slammed into her block and the witch was sent flying as the purple magically resistant and reinforced armour on her arms and hands dissolved into nothingness along with the top layer of her skin. The Runes on the armour and her natural magical resistance the only thing saving the use of her hands and arms as they absorbed the brunt of the attack before failing. Scáthach felt her body skid along the ice and tried to stop herself by materializing a spear and stabbing it into the ground, swinging her body around it like a pole as she struggled to regain her footing.

As she landed however, Scathach's eyes widened as she misjudged her footwork and finally slipped on the icy terrain, collapsing to the ground as she saw the black tide surge forwards. 'So this is how I die? At long last my search is finally over,' she thought with resignation as Sirzechs' Power of Destruction began to surround her.

However as she looked into pure black energy, Scáthach felt something she didn't expect, _despair_. In that moment she wasn't the Immortal Witch or the feared Godslayer, she was Scáthach, a human child who decided to learn the wonders of Rune magic.

Why? Why was she sad? This was what she wanted, wasn't it? The death she had long seeking was finally here, she should be happy, shouldn't she?

 _Then you're an idiot._

As the familiar words echoed across the witch's mind, the picture of the scolding teen appeared in her head and an amused smile crossed her face. 'One insignificant change huh? Maybe, you were onto something Issei,' she thought with a smirk as Scáthach felt more of her magical armour beginning to dissolve from the Maou's aura surrounding her.

Sirzechs watched as his black Power of Destruction consumed the witch's body, completely engulfing her, a cold satisfied smile spreading across his face as he was about to rein in his power and check on his fellow Maou. Only to freeze as he saw the black power surrounding the witch's body suddenly get pushed back with an explosive force of bright light. Standing alive in a circle of glowing purple runes was the battered and beaten form of Scáthach. Yet despite her condition, the witch was laughing as she struggled to her feet, the purple runes' glow slowly getting weaker as more and more of Sirzechs' Power of Destruction continued to crash against the barrier.

"Why are you laughing?" frowned Sirzechs, wondering if the Immortal Witch had finally lost her mind.

"It's just so funny, after all these years I've finally found what I've been searching for, I've finally found someone who can grant me my wish and yet...I don't want it. My wish is finally within my grasp and I'm not happy about it, how can I not laugh at that absurdity?" cried Scáthach through coughing laughter.

Suddenly the two spears in her hands transformed into red beams again as they rushed towards Sirzechs, unlike last time the Maou's eyes widened as the spears pierced his Power of Destruction and both stabbed him in the gut. 'I can't move!' realized the Devil as he felt the magic from the spears enter the inside of his body, immobilizing it.

It wouldn't last long though, already they could both see the twin spears beginning to crack from the Maou's Power of Destruction assaulting them. However, it didn't matter, they only needed to last a couple of seconds as Scáthach ran out of her rune barrier and braved the torrent of the black tide surrounding her island of stability and rushed for where Gae Bolg had been stabbed into the ground.

Feeling her hand closing around the shaft of the cursed spear, Scáthach spun around to face the Devil and lifted the spear in the air. Suddenly the entire spear was coated in a crimson energy as the rain stopped and the sun finally peaked out over the clouds, bathing the witch and her weapon in its warm light even as Scáthach felt more of her armour dissolving from the Maou's power.

"I've decided Maou, I'm not going to die as a human. I'm going to live as one!" she announced as the energy from Gae Bolg began pushing back the black sea and the witch prepared to throw the spear.

" **Gae Bolg Alternate: Soaring Spear of Piercing Death!"** she shouted and the spear shot through the sea of black energy.

All Sirzechs saw was a bright crimson blur splitting his pure black tide as it rushed towards the Maou, the amused expression on Scathach's face morphing into that of complete determination, an expression that was unique to only one race. The one race that against all odds had not only survived but thrived in this world through nothing but their own power, it was an expression solely unique to humans.

Sirzechs tried to move out of the way but he was still immobilized by the twin spears piercing his gut, all the Maou could do was increase the amount of Power of Destruction he was releasing, creating a wall of the dark energy between him and the approaching spear. The red glowing Gae Bolg met the wall of black power with a flash of pulsing light as the black and crimson colours clashed, each determined to gain dominance over the other. The ground beneath the two fighters shook from the forces now gathering around the area as trees were uprooted and blasted across the battlefield.

Suddenly the black Power of Destruction and the red Gae Bolg both disappeared as the two combatants immediately looked on in shock. It wasn't that each force had cancelled out the other, both attacks had literally vanished, as if they were teleported away. They both heard a soft clang and saw the now deactivated Gae Bolg resting at the witch's feet, 'how did it get there?'

"Alright kids, I think this has gone on long enough don't you?" announced an amused male voice as they both turned to see an old man holding Serafall in one hand and a jeweled sword in the other.

Both the combatants turned to face this old man warily, "who are you?" questioned Scáthach.

"Just an annoying old troll who doesn't want to see his entertainment end too early, surely Issei told you about me?" replied the man with a smile.

"Annoying old troll?" repeated the witch before her eyes widened and she shook her head in amusement. "Issei, you always meet the strangest people."

Sirzechs just looked between her and this apparently new opponent with a frown as he began forming more Power of Destruction, ready to blast them both into oblivion. The Maou's eyes widened however as the black energy around him instantly disappeared as if it was never even there. 'What kind of power is that?' he thought in shock.

"Now, now, Maou-san, I said that was enough didn't I?" teased the old man as the Power of Destruction he had just teleported away instantly appeared again inches from the Devil's face, whom had to dive to the side or be hit with his own attack.

The two combatants just watched as the old man looked around at the destroyed area before he snapped his fingers and instantly the battlefield was exactly like it was at the start of the fight, no sign of the damage they had inflicted anywhere to be found.

"Now that, that's done, I think the two of you just got off on the wrong foot, why don't apologize to each other hmm?" suggested the old man, only to sigh as he got a red spear and black sphere sailing towards his head for his troubles.

"Kids these days, no respect for their elders," he muttered before the two attacks vanished and reappeared, flying at their previous wielders at high speeds.

Scáthach and Sirzechs quickly dodged the attacks and turned to face the man as he continued talking, "if you keep attacking, I might have to bring down the Boundary Field. I'm sure both of you know the two who would come running if I did that."

Scáthach and Sirzechs quickly glanced at each other, each waiting to see what the other would do before Sirzechs finally reigned in his power and the witch sighed as she dematerialized Gae Bolg and her other red spears hovering around her.

"Good, now why don't we start over? Sirzechs you clearly wanted to talk to Scáthach before all this happened, shall I assume it has something to do with your little sister's wedding?" asked the man in amusement.

"How do you know about that?" questioned the Maou with a suspicious expression on his face.

"It's a secret," smirked the old man, drawing a growl from Sirzechs and a smirk from the witch.

The Maou took a deep breath as he turned back to face her, "Scáthach, I swear as a leader of the Maou, that as long as our siblings are not harmed we will not go after that descendant."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you Lucifer, Father of Lies," snarled the witch.

"I hate this title sometimes," muttered Sirzechs.

Meanwhile Scáthach just glared at him with a suspicious look on her face, "the only reason you'd let myself and Issei stay here is because you gain something from it."

The Maou sighed, "It would seem your mind is as sharp as the legends say. You're right I'd like your help with an annoyance of mine, tell me what do you know about the 'Immortal Phenex' Clan?"

"Pfft, they are no true Immortals I could kill every member solely by myself," scoffed the witch, getting a smile from Sirzechs that rapidly turned to a frown at her next reply. "But I see no reason why I should help you deal with them, Devil."

"Now, now, Scáthach don't be so hasty," scolded their amused observer. "Just think about how this could be used, it would be perfect time for a new faction's to show their strength to the world."

The witch just blinked before an eager smile spread across her face as she turned back to the old man, "what was your name?"

"Zelretch," he replied with an equally eager smile on his face.

"Well Zelretch, I think this is the start of a wonderful partnership," smirked the witch.

* * *

Issei suddenly shuddered as a feeling of impending doom crashed down on him, drawing the attention of Asia. "Issei? What's wrong?" asked the nun.

"I suddenly felt as if the worst possible thing in the world has happened, like my luck has reached a new level of bad. Meh it's probably nothing," shrugged the teen as they arrived at the ORC clubroom door.

"Alright Asia, do you remember your cover story?" asked Issei.

The nun nodded, "I was going to be killed by some fanatics for being a witch when you came to save me, I've been working for the Celts ever since," recited Asia, sounding so scripted that Issei thought it would have sounded more believable if they'd given her palm cards to read off.

'We're not going to be fooling anyone,' sighed Issei even as he kept a smile on his face and congratulated Asia. 'How can someone be that bad at lying?'

 **[Pot calling the kettle black, partner.]**

'Ddraig, shut up,' scowled Issei as he pushed the door to the clubroom open.

"Hey Rias, we're here," he announced, as the two of the entered the clubroom.

Instantly they both stopped in their tracks as they saw Rias and her peerage standing on one side while a blonde man and fourteen other girls of various shapes and sizes stood on the other, in between these two groups was a grey haired woman in a maid uniform. Issei and Asia just glanced at each other, both easily picking up the hostile atmosphere between the two groups.

"Um…are we interrupting something?" asked Issei in confusion.

"No Issei, come on in please," greeted Rias, apparently happy for the distraction.

"Who are they Rias? More members of your peerage?" questioned the blonde man.

"Nah we're just friends, and before you ask yes we're human," answered Issei, only to frown as the man suddenly burst into condescending laughter.

"Humans? Ha! That's rich, you can't even get people into your peerages anymore Rias? Truly it is a good thing I am your fiancée," insulted the male Devil, getting a low growl from all of Rias' peerage.

"For the last time Riser, I will not marry you!" snarled Rias as Issei's eyes widened in recognition.

'Riser? So this is the one they were talking about earlier, I can see why they hate him,' he thought with a scowl.

"You don't have a choice my dear Rias, our families have already decided upon it," reminded Riser, and unknown to anyone the Archer card began glowing softly.

"Devils use marriage contracts? That's a bit harsh, don't you think? She should be allowed to choose who she marries," remarked Issei in disapproval, getting a sympathetic look from the maid and a grateful smile from Rias.

"Are you blind human? Can't you see you're betters are talking?" growled Riser as he began to approach Rias, a lecherous look in his eyes, instantly the Archer card's glow began to grow brighter.

"No but with a face like yours, I wish I was blind," smirked the teen as Riser spun around to face him.

"What did you say human? Do you even know who you are talking to? I am Riser Phenex, member of one of the most powerful clans of the 72 Pillars," informed the Phenex member, puffing his chest out in pride.

"I see…well your family tree must be a cactus then, because everybody on it is a prick," replied Issei, as everyone's eyes widened and both Asia and Rias giggled softly into their hands.

"You…you…damn human!" sputtered Riser angrily.

"Oh not a fan of that one? I have others," informed the teen with a deadpan expression before taking a deep breath.

The human then gave Riser a mocking bow and continued, "how about…You look as if a pig and an elephant got married, and you're their offspring. No? Then what about…You're so ugly that Hello Kitty said goodbye to you. Don't like that one either? Alright let's try again…"

"Enough! How dare you mock me in such a manner!" interrupted the blonde Devil as even members of his own peerage struggled to contain their laughter.

"Well how would you like me to mock you then? I take requests," smirked the teen as Rias didn't bother hiding it anymore and burst out into laughter.

Riser's face went red as he turned to one of his peerage members, "that's it! Mira, show this human why he should not anger his betters."

"Yes, Riser-sama!" shouted the girl before charging towards Issei.

"Riser! Stop!" cried the maid in horror as Issei heard the door open behind him.

"Why should I? What does it matter if a lowly human dies?" scoffed the Devil, only to freeze as the room was filled with an oppressive power and Mira was suddenly thrown against a wall.

"Because this _lowly_ human is under my protection, as well as that of the Celts. Tell me Devil, does the name Scáthach sound familiar?" asked a female voice, causing everyone to turn and see the Godslayer walk in, clothed back in her Kuoh uniform.

"Oh Scáthach, where were you…are you okay? You look exhausted," asked a concerned Issei.

"Just doing some _aggressive negotiations_ Issei, nothing to worry about. So this is the one huh? Well Immortal Phenex, feel like testing your powers against that of the Immortal Witch?" commented the witch as she looked over to the maid, whose eyes widened at the code words and a quick smirk spread across her face before being replace by her usual stoic expression.

"You…you…you're…but…" stuttered the Devil fearfully as he glanced at the maid.

"She is correct, Riser you just attacked a member of the Celts, after we promised them safety in our territory. They are well within their rights to kill you where you stand," informed the maid, not a hint of emotion on her face.

"WHAT?!" shouted Riser in fear, only to hear Scáthach chuckle.

"As fun as that would be, I have a better idea," informed the witch.

"Oh and what's that?" questioned the maid.

"While a death would send a message, I think disgracing him in front of the entire Underworld would leave a bigger one," smirked the witch.

The maid raised her eyebrows, "what did you have in mind?"

"You Devil's like Rating Games correct? The let's have one. A member of my faction will fight Riser and all of his peerage," proposed Scáthach with a smile.

"And, the winner gets to demand one thing from the loser," added Issei, which made Scáthach look at him in surprise before nodding.

"Indeed Issei, I was going to add that anyway," replied the witch with a nod.

"I have to fight the Godslayer! No way, I forfeit!" shouted Riser as his peerage looked at him in shock.

"Spare us the sight of you soiling yourself Devil, I will not belittle myself with fighting you. No, another member of my faction will be fighting you," informed Scáthach, making Issei glance in her direction.

"Who?" asked the maid.

"It's a secret," replied the Godslayer with a smirk.

"Very well, Riser do you agree?" asked the maid Devil.

"What happens if I don't?" sighed Riser in resignation.

"I'll kill you," answered the witch as she materialized Gae Bolg in her hand.

"Fine, I agree, I agree!" shouted the Devil, as Scáthach dismissed Gae Bolg.

"Glad, you see things my way Devil," she smirked before turning to the maid. "How long until things are ready?"

"Simply give us the type of environment you want for your match and we'll have it ready in a couple of days," informed the maid, while Rias and her peerage just looked on in shock.

"A forest. Make it a forest," answered Issei, his mouth seeming to move on its own accord as the Archer card's glow slowly died.

"I see, are you fine with this Riser," asked the maid.

"I'm fighting this human? Hah! Forget what I said earlier, this will be an easy win," laughed Riser, his earlier fear having dissolved in the light of this new information.

"So why do you want me to fight with this guy?" whispered Issei to Scáthach.

"What? Are you saying you don't want to humiliate him with nearly the entire Underworld watching?" whispered back the witch.

"Hey, don't put words in my mouth," replied the teen as he smirked at the Devil.

"You've just made a grave mistake, Celts. In fact, I think I know what I'll demand after this is over," grinned Riser as he stared lustfully at Scathach's body, apparently oblivious to the rage building in the Godslayer's body.

"Not really, if you want to know about mistakes, you should ask your parents," replied Issei with a wave of his hand, making Riser snarl as a ball of fire appeared in his hand.

"Riser, I would like to remind you to wait for the match before you start fighting," stated the maid as she walked in between them.

"Very well, I'll be looking forward to it…human," growled Riser as he and his peerage walked into a newly made magical circle.

"Do you have to leave so soon? I was just about to poison the tea," said Issei with a grin as he waved at the Devil, whom said nothing and teleported out of room followed by the maid doing the same.

"I think he likes me," smirked the teen as all the Devils in the room turned to look at him with amused expressions before they all burst out into laughter. Eventually though once the laughter died down, Rias walked over to the human.

"Issei, I'm sorry for involving you in all this," apologized Rias with a bow.

"Don't worry Rias, I'll be fine. Make sure you guys come watch the match, I think you'll enjoy it," replied Issei before he introduced the rest of the Devils to Asia, while Scáthach tried to keep the two of them from giving away their bluff, usually by threatening everyone in the room.

Issei was honestly terrified of what would happen if the Godslayer befriended Akeno, which seemed thankfully unlikely at this point. By the time the club finished Issei was bruised, as well as physically and mentally drained, so all in all a pretty regular day in the ORC by this point.

* * *

"Hello bed, I'm going to sleep on you now," sighed Issei in relief as he collapsed onto his sanctuary, ready fall into the bliss of unconsciousness, only to growl as he felt the familiar feeling a stone beneath him.

"I just want a restful night sleep, is that too much to ask?" groaned the teen as he got up from and spotted Ddraig staring down at him.

 **[Nice to see you partner.]**

"Hey Ddraig, what's going on?" asked Issei, tiredly.

 **[She wanted to speak to you partner.]**

"Who did?" replied the grouchy human.

"That thieving Neko, who else?" informed Tamamo as Issei spun around and saw both Lancer and Caster approaching him.

"Archer? What's Atalanta want with me? She didn't seem to like me much when we last met," yawned Issei.

"That's for her to tell you boy," said Sétanta as he gestured with his head to behind the teen.

"Oh, hey Atalanta," greeted the teen as he rubbed his eyes and turned to face the cat girl.

"Why?" frowned the huntress.

"Why? What?" repeated Issei in confusion.

"Why did thou interfere with that Devil's marriage contract?" elaborated Atalanta with narrowed eyes.

"Technically Scáthach did, I was just dragged along for the ride…nothing new there," pointed out the human with a sigh.

"She's a wild one," shrugged Lancer.

Atalanta glared at Sétanta before she turned back to Issei, "she didn't add the bit about the demands at the end, and I know what thou art hast planned boy. So why did thou do it?"

"Because he was a selfish prick, which obviously didn't care about her. Rias deserved someone better than that, there was no way I was going to let this horrible marriage go through," informed Issei, only to jump as Atalanta grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hoisted him off the ground.

"Then thou should have convinced the Godslayer to kill him, then and there! There was no need for thou to fight the Devil. Thou hast risked thou's friend's chance to end her forced marriage by agreeing to this fight instead!" she growled before dropping him to the ground.

"I know but…" trailed off the teen.

"But…" prompted the huntress.

Issei just got up from ground as he stared at Atalanta with a fierce expression on his face, "people like that, that just treat others as nothing more than toys piss me off. I guess I just wanted to deal with him myself, to punish him for his attitude."

The huntress was silent as she locked her gaze with his, silently judging him before she finally nodded, "I see…very well I shall give thee assistance in this endeavor."

"Um…no offence Atalanta but I think it would be best if I used Lancer's or Caster's help, since I'm meant to be his descendant and they're the cards that I have the most experience at using," stated Issei.

"Hah, take that thieving Neko!" cheered Tamamo.

"Boy, cease speaking, else I shall cut out thou's tongue," snarled the huntress, instantly shutting the human up.

Seeing this Atalanta then nodded before she grabbed him again by his shirt and started dragging him away towards the Archer doorway. "Good now come, we have much work to do," informed the huntress.

Tamamo started to follow in concern, "hey wait, he's not ready yet!"

However she was stopped by Lancer whom grabbed her by the shoulder and shook his head, "this isn't our fight Caster, let them go. She needs this just as much as him, besides we still have _her_ to worry about."

Tamamo sighed as they both turned to the sealed Saber doorway, numerous Celtic Runes and Shinto Talismans decorating the passage. "True, I thought Berserker would be the one we'd have to worry about, who could have guessed Saber would be the one that we'd have to seal back up," she said with a shake of her head.

"Honestly, how can she have that much hatred over a single name. At least we managed to lock her back up before she did any lasting damage," commented the fox girl.

"Let's hope she doesn't get another wakeup call like that, I doubt she'll fall for the same trick as last time. I don't think we'll be able to put her back sleep next time she awakens," frowned Lancer, getting a nod from both Ddraig and Tamamo.

 **[Indeed.]**

"If what Atalanta said was true and if she's anything like her father…then we got lucky stopping her when we did," muttered Sétanta as they all stared at the Saber doorway with concern.

* * *

"Atalanta where are we going?" questioned Issei as he struggled to break the huntress' grip on his shirt.

"Those two may be happy to let thou use their powers and accepted thou as their master but I have not! If thou wants to use my full power then first thou must pass my test," growled Atalanta as she finally dropped the teen to the ground.

Issei just rubbed his sore neck as he got to his feet and gasped as he found them both in a deep forest, the sun shining down on the pair through the tree canopy as numerous animals began calling in the distance. Glancing behind him Issei saw the other end of the doorway he came through carved into the mountain side like a cave entrance and frowned as he spotted a dragon instead of the archer symbol above it.

Hearing the huntress moving Issei then leapt to his feet and he followed after her as the two went deeper into the forest, "test? Full power? Why not just let me use it now and save us some time?"

Atalanta just glanced at him in annoyance, "hast thou not heard anything! Never mind we've arrived."

Upon hearing this the duo emerged from the forest and into a nearby coastline, causing Issei's eyes to widened as he spotted the ancient remains of a race course. "A footrace? That's the test?" blinked Issei.

"Of course, was it not obvious?" questioned the huntress.

"Well…I can't exactly argue with that," admitted Issei with a sigh.

"Good, now get ready," ordered Atalanta as she moved to the starting line.

"What? You can't be serious here! There's no way I can win," exclaimed the teen.

"If thou truly believes as such, then thou has already lost," replied the cat girl with a frown.

"Alright, I suppose you have a point there. Might as well give it a try," sighed Issei, shaking his head as he moved to the adjacent lane.

"No, do or do not. There is no try," lectured Atalanta.

"What does that even mean?" questioned the teen in confusion.

"It means cease this incessant whining get thyself ready!" commanded the huntress and Issei sighed again before getting into a ready position.

There was a brief pause before the two runners sprinted off the starting line and as he looked back Issei was amazed to see Atalanta far behind him. 'I'm winning!' thought the teen eagerly, only for a memory to reappear in his head.

 _Atalanta was often fond of letting her opposing racers get a head start in her footraces before overtaking them and winning. In fact, some even believed that as long as she let her opponents move first, she could predict the outcome and change it in her favour…_

"CRAP!" shouted the teen as he once again looked behind him and spotted the Chaste Huntress rapidly closing the distance between them. As panic began to fill his mind the teen saw Atalanta running alongside him and glance at the teen before a sudden image filled his mind.

" _So you have come back my wayward daughter," said an old man, sitting upon his throne._

" _Thou has no right to call me that after what thou hast done," growled the familiar green clad girl, the cat ears and tail noticeably absent._

" _I am your father, I will call you what I wish," replied the man with a frown._

" _Thou art a monster, no parent would abandon their child like that," retorted the huntress, angrily._

" _Mind your tongue Atalanta, do not forget the debt you owe me. Now that you are of age, I have found you a suitor," informed the man._

" _I refuse!" defied Atalanta._

" _You cannot defy me daughter of mine," replied the king._

" _I am a champion of Artemis and as such I have sworn off men, you might not respect me but you will respect the Goddess' wishes!" she snarled._

" _I AM YOUR FATHER!" bellowed the king._

" _THOU ART NO FATHER OF MINE!" roared the huntress._

 _The two were silent before the king glared at his estranged daughter, "very well then Atalanta, let us make a deal…"_

Issei blinked as the vision ended and the teen quickly stumbled before he fell to the ground, the sudden shift back to the present completely throwing off his balance. See him collapse Atalanta stopped before walking over to him.

"Thou failed boy, now try again," demanded the huntress as Issei struggled to his feet.

"I don't know what you're expecting of me Atalanta, but there's no way I can beat you. So can we please just stop?" requested Issei in a tired voice.

The huntress just froze before she gave him a cold look, "so thou wishes to give up?"

"Yeah sure, I'll just use Lancer's card," replied the teen as he turned to walk away, only for an arrow to pierce the tree next to his head.

"Tell me boy, what does thou know of my legend?" asked Atalanta in a cold voice as Issei spun to face her.

Frowning Issei eyed the bow in her hands cautiously as he replied, "you were a champion of Artemis and Apollo, accompanied the Argonauts and even befriended Heracles. You became known as the Chaste Huntress after forcing any potential suitors to beat you in footraces before you would accept their proposal."

The huntress nodded as she nocked another arrow, "indeed, tell me boy. What happened to the ones who lost?"

"Lost? They…" Issei trailed off as his eyes widened and his face grew pale.

"Were killed. Does thou understand now? That is the cost of failure, thou will either pass my test…or die," stated Atalanta.

"A-Atalanta…you're joking! Right?!" stammered the teen.

"The strong thrive while the weak perish, that is the way of the wild, that is the way of the hunt! Now art thou a weak rabbit or a fearsome lion?! Choose boy," demanded the green girl with a frown.

"But I'm not asking for your hand in marriage, I'm not forcing you to break your vows, so why do I have to die?!" shouted Issei.

"Indeed, thou art not requesting my matrimony, instead thou art wanting something far greater. My power, my flesh, my very soul. That is what thou wants, to bind my very existence to thee, to truly become one. Something far more invasive than any marriage," replied Atalanta, her bow not lowering from his chest.

"Then why aren't I dead already? I've already lost," frowned the teen, and the huntress finally lowered her bow with a sigh.

"In honor of a friend, I'm giving thou twelve chances boy," she informed him.

"Twelve?" repeated Issei, the number's significance not lost on the teen.

"That's right, I know not what thou hast said to him in there but I can tell that thou eased some of his pain, and for that thou hast my gratitude," sighed the huntress.

"Really? It just sounded like a bunch of roaring to me," murmured Issei.

"Once one has been under the same influence, it becomes easy to distinguish what is true emotion and what is fake," muttered Atalanta sadly.

The teen's eyes widened, "same influence…? Atalanta were you ever summoned as-"

"Enough thou has clearly recovered so let us begin. It's time to see if thou can also do the impossible and outrun the Chaste Huntress," interrupted the huntress as she grabbed Issei and dragged him back to the starting lines.

And thus the process repeated itself for what seemed like hours to Issei as he tried and failed to beat the Chaste Huntress, with each failure the desperation in the teen grew as the threat of death loomed ever closer.

"Thou failed once again boy, only two more chances left. Now get up and try again," ordered Atalanta as Issei was panting on the ground.

"I-I can't…" replied Issei, only to leap to his feet as an arrow pierced where he had been moments before.

"Thou can still move therefore thou can still run, now move or my next arrow won't be aimed at the ground," warned Atalanta as she marched him back to the starting point.

Once again Issei was forced back to the starting point as they prepared for his 11th attempt at beating the huntress. Trying to ignore the pain burning in his legs Issei focused on the race in front of him, his face the textbook definition of desperation as he struggled to move his uncooperating body.

This time was different then all the other attempts however as Issei saw Atalanta seemed to be distracted by something, gripping her head as if from a headache before glancing at the lagging teen with a pitying expression on her face.

Seeing an opportunity Issei pushed his body as far as he could, praying that he could use this chance to finally overtake the huntress. In his focused and exhausted state Issei didn't notice his body starting to move in sync with Atalanta's, the two appearing to be running in perfect synchronization as the sun began setting behind them.

He had to run! He had to win!

Damn her! Damn that huntress! He had to win! Not just for him, but for his dad! What would happen if he lost his son too?

He had to run-

 _She had to run! She had to win!_

 _Damn them! Damn those cheats! She had to win! She would not break her vows to her Goddess, she wouldn't let that bastard of a father take away the last piece of her identity she had left._

 _The lone huntress sprinted at unimaginable speeds as she tried to close the distance between her and the cheater, only to watch in dismay as he crossed the finish line. The huntress just slowed to a stop as a feeling of deep despair welled up inside her, she had betrayed her Goddess, the one who saved her life!_

 _Tears blurred her vision as she looked down to her hand and saw the core of the Golden Apple still clutched tightly in her fist. The once indomitable huntress fell to the ground as her legs turned to jelly, there was silence as a loud piercing wail of defeat and despair echoed across the grounds before trailing off into soft sobs._

 _As her cries crept their way through the nearby woods, numerous animals in the forest grew silent as the listened before they too joined in the huntress' lamenting. Signaling that the legend of the indomitable Chaste Huntress Atalanta had well and truly met its end._

"What the? Ouch!" cried Issei as his body finally gave in and he collapsed.

"Thou lost again boy, thou will have to do better…this is thou's final chance," informed the huntress as she approached him.

"Just shut up! If you hate me so much then why are we even talking! Why are you even bothering to help me!" snarled Issei as a combination of fear, desperation, exhaustion and anger finally took their toll on his psyche.

Atalanta just stared at him before she sighed, "because of this…"

"… _we all have choices Mittelt, whether we know it or not and I've just made mine. I'm giving you a second chance, don't waste it."_

Issei's eyes widened as he saw himself standing in front of Mittelt before the image began dissolving into nothing.

"Lancer wanted her dead, even I was enraged at her trickery. I nearly killed a child, something a hero should never do. Yet thou held us back, not only did thou spare the child but thou set her down a better path," informed the huntress as she turned away from the image and back to Issei.

"And so thou gained my curiosity, as well as my respect. However, if this is what thou calls their best then perhaps I was mistaken," muttered the Atalanta before she began walking away.

"I will give thee some time alone, it's good to have some time alone to make peace with thyself before death," she advised, leaving the teen alone with his thoughts.

What was he going to do? There was no way he could beat her! He needed a miracle! The teen growled in frustration before he felt something poking into his back and turned to see a Golden Apple laying on the ground next to him.

"That wasn't there before, was it?" pondered the teen with a frown as he picked up the apple.

"Oi boy art thou ready yet?" called Atalanta from the nearby starting line.

"Yeah give me a second," shouted Issei as he hid the apple behind his back and made his way to the starting point.

For the final time the two of them got into their staring positions and Issei felt the weight of the apple now hidden under his shirt. 'I hope this works,' sighed the teen as he clutched his last lifeline close to his chest.

As usual, Issei quickly found himself overtaken by the huntress and sighed as he removed the apple from beneath his shirt and prepared to throw the distraction. However, as he drew his arm back to throw it, he heard the huntress' wails of despair and soft sobs echo throughout his mind and the teen hesitated. Did he really want to use it? Would he really be satisfied with that outcome? No, he had to use it, or he'd be killed! He didn't have a choice! Issei glanced at the Golden Apple in his hand as he ran, his mind still trying to come to a decision before he suddenly remembered the race and tried to find Atalanta.

"Damn it!" cried Issei as he lowered his arm with the apple still clenched in his fist and collapsed to the ground, watching as Atalanta crossed the finish line and turn to face him before walking over to the teen.

"Congratulations boy, you passed," announced Atalanta as she helped the shocked teen back to his feet.

"But…I didn't win," he replied, drawing a small smirk from the huntress.

"Thou were never meant to boy…rather if I had been beaten then thou would have failed the most important test," answered Atalanta as she grabbed the Golden Apple that was hidden behind his back in the teen's clutched hand.

"Did thou really think that this accused apple appearing was pure chance?" she asked, before throwing it away.

"Any person who could still resort to such trickery after thou had experienced my memories has no right to use the power of the Chaste Huntress," explained Atalanta.

"And what about killing me?" frowned Issei.

"Merely the motivation required to push thou to thy limits, I doubt Caster or Lancer would have given me a quick death if I had killed thee," mused the huntress.

"Was it really necessary to go so far?" asked the teen as she placed him gently on the ground nearby a tree.

The huntress nodded, "people always reveal their true nature when exposed to hardships like this, thou art no exception."

A small smile grew on Atalanta's face as she stared at him, "still I must admit that thou art a good person…perhaps Caster and Lancer weren't naive fools after all."

"Umm…thanks?" replied Issei hesitantly before resting his tired body against the tree.

The huntress was silent for a couple of minutes before she sighed, "I'm sorry about thou's mother…for a child to lose their parent like that at a young age is tragic."

"What? But how do you…" stammered Issei in shock while Atalanta had a smug smirk appear on her face.

"Thou didn't think thy'd be the only one seeing memories during this, did thee? When souls are being bound it isn't a one way process, each influences the other. Even Include states are no exception to this," informed the Chaste Huntress.

"Right, I guess that's another thing that damned troll forgot to tell me," sighed the teen.

"Boy one last thing…" said the green clad girl, drawing Issei's attention.

The teen the shudder from the glare she was giving him, "try anything perverted and thou's life is forfeit."

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Issei.

"Thou shalt see…now prepare thyself Issei Hyoudou, thou art going to learn how _mad_ a beast the Chaste Huntress can be…"

* * *

The four Gods sat at the table in silence as they waited for someone to break the ice, Amaterasu took the time to examine her companions. Zeus had chosen the appearance of a well-built elderly man with a long white build and clad in white robes. His two children, the twins Apollo and Artemis, looked as different as the domains they represented.

Apollo was a muscular young man that had tanned skin with short wavy blonde hair and was clad in what appeared to be some form of brown and red ancient Greek armour, only missing the helm. Seeing her studying him Apollo turned his gaze to Amaterasu ad did the same before nodding, apparently satisfied with what he had found.

The Shinto Goddess then turned to Artemis whom had long white hair and was wearing a long white dress that eventually turned to a shade of orange at the bottom, along with red shoes. However as she studied the Greek Goddess' face she realized that the frown that the two twins were sharing seemed unnatural on her face, as if it would rather turn back into a joyful smile.

"Amaterasu, I must say we were surprised when you said you wanted this meeting. When I sent you that message I didn't expect you to request a personal meeting, least of all with my two children," stated Zeus, snapping the Shinto Goddess from her thoughts.

"The situation has changed Zeus and I think this meeting will benefit all of us," she replied with a sigh.

"Why are Apollo and I here? You didn't seem to care about us last time we asked you," pointed out Artemis whom glared at Amaterasu.

"Tsukuyomi simply didn't tell me, after all you were talking about your deceased champion rising from the void of death, something even we Gods struggle with," explained the Shinto Goddess.

"I see, so that was what had the two of you so riled up," muttered Zeus as he turned to face his children.

Artemis nodded as she folded her hands over the table, "both my brother and I felt something familiar coming from the Shinto territory, at first we thought nothing of it and just dismissed it as our imagination. But then we both heard it…the prayer of Divine Protection, neither of us could believe it as we felt our power being summoned by the complaint message."

"You mean…" trailed off Zeus as he looked at them in shock.

"There is no doubt father, even though it felt slightly different it was definitely Tauropolos," replied Apollo with a nod.

Amaterasu frowned as she spoke up, "but how does that mean that your champion is alive? Could not the bow have just been found and used by another?"

Artemis just shook her head, "Tauropolos doesn't work like that, by itself the bow is a fearsome weapon capable of destroying most objects with a single arrow. But the bow by itself is unable to create the effect of Phoebus Catastrophe. That ability requires multiple conditions to use, one of which is that the weapon is being used by our champion."

"So we have the Chaste Huntress herself apparently rising from the grave as well as my son…truly the world has gone mad," sighed Zeus.

"Is Heracles really that big of a surprise father?" frowned Apollo, making everyone turn to face him.

"He has already done the impossible twelve times before, who's to say that my brother hasn't done the same again?" shrugged the Greek Sun God.

"You have a point there," said Zeus with a faint smile as Apollo turned back to Amaterasu.

"So why have you wanted this meeting? If Tsukuyomi thought this was nonsense then what has changed? Something must have happened for you to now take us seriously," he frowned.

"The Celts," replied Amaterasu, getting shocked looks from her fellow Gods.

"The Celts? What do Dagda and the rest of those isolationists have to do with this?" asked Artemis.

"Not so isolationist anymore," reminded the Shinto Goddess.

"Indeed, but you still haven't answered the question Amaterasu," replied the Greek Sun God.

"At ease my son, I'm sure our Shinto friend was just about to start explaining herself," calmed Zeus before gesturing for Amaterasu to continue.

The Sun Goddess gave a grateful nod as she began, "shortly before I got your message Zeus, we detected something that should have been impossible in our territory. You are aware of my…experience in the human world, yes?"

Getting a nod from the three Gods she continued, "well, after my 'death' as Tamamo, my soul was split into fragments as the humans broke the Killing Stone, thankfully my brothers quickly collected what we thought was all of them."

"Thought?" repeated Apollo.

"Yes, you see we detected someone accessing my territory's Leylines, odd but not that unusual for skilled magicians. However, when we focused on it…it felt exactly the same as my own power," informed the Goddess.

"So they missed collecting all your fragments? Is that so unusual?" asked Artemis, only for Amaterasu to shake her head.

"You don't understand, those fragments cannot gain their own sentience it is simply impossible. Let alone have the same authority as myself to let them access the Leylines with my name," explained Amaterasu.

"They only syphoned a small amount of power this time but…" the Shinto Goddess trailed off.

"But what if that was simply a test, to find out if the concept could work before putting more effort into taking more of you power?" finished Zeus with a worried expression.

"Exactly," replied Amaterasu.

"If they have found a way to synthesis a God's power, then that would explain why I felt my son in your territory. But what do the Celts have to do with this?" question Zeus with a frown.

"During the time that all of us detected these anomalies Morrigan and Scáthach were infiltrating my territory," informed Amaterasu.

"I heard that they were there to investigate the new descendant of Cu Chulainn," frowned Apollo.

"Yes that is what they said…but was he really a descendant or just their first successful experiment?" questioned Amaterasu, and a deep silence filled the room.

"You think they used the same method on the boy using Cu Chulainn's power? Amaterasu do you have any proof? I think I'd be able to recognize a fake of my champion," argued Artemis.

"Nothing yet…but the timing is just too convenient for me to throw it away as chance. It would be easy for Scáthach and Morrigan to hide their presences with their skills," reasoned the Shinto Goddess.

"So the Celts are responsible, I will have Dagda's head for this!" roared Zeus and they all heard the loud clap of thunder.

"No or at least not completely, I believe that Morrigan, Scáthach and possibly Lugh are acting on their own accord," assured Amaterasu quickly.

"You say that Amaterasu but the behavior of the Celts as a whole in recent years suggests they are preparing for conflict," pointed out Apollo.

"I know, but I don't think it's us that they are preparing for," mused the Shinto God.

"What do you mean?" questioned Artemis, curiously.

"When I went to see Dagda, he was too passive. Eager to see the conflict put to a peaceful end as quickly as possible. Something has Dagda worried, and I don't think it was us," stated Amaterasu, and once again a silence descended on them.

"So we're back to square one, if the Celts aren't behind it then who? Is it just Morrigan and Lugh or is there more to this?" frowned Apollo as he began rubbing his temples.

"I think I might know. We've all heard the rumors of a new faction forming, taking elements that are unsatisfied with the current world and bringing them together under one army," informed Zeus.

"You talking about this 'Khaos Brigade'," answered Amaterasu with a frown.

"Scathach's opinion is obvious but tell me Amaterasu, did either Lugh or Morrigan seem dissatisfied with the way Dagda was running things?" asked Zeus, causing her to frown as she thought back to her meeting with the Celts.

"Morrigan? Definitely, however Lugh didn't seem that unhappy," she replied.

"And yet Dagda, stopped him from bringing his son back. A perfectly good reason to hold a grudge," reasoned Apollo.

"We should inform the Celts about this," suggested Artemis.

"Not possible, Dagda recently assigned Morrigan and Lugh as the Celt's official diplomats. There's no way we could get a message to him without them intercepting it," sighed Amaterasu.

"Of course he did…so what do we do?" groaned Artemis with a shake of her head.

"We need to keep a closer eye out for anything related to this 'Khaos Brigade'," stated Zeus.

"I must go back to my territory and keep monitoring the Leylines. I'll inform you if something comes up on my end, I would request that you three do the same," request Amaterasu.

"Of course, thank you for the information. We'll be in touch," replied the leader of the Greeks.

"Zeus! You need to come see this!" yelled an old man whom rushed into the room.

"Poseidon? What is it? I'm in the middle of an important meeting," frowned Zeus.

"Then it can wait!" cried Poseidon, making everyone stare at him in shock as he then turned to face the twins.

"Apollo, Artemis, you need to come as well!" he shouted.

"Brother just what is going on!?" demanded Zeus.

"There's a Rating Game going on that you need to see!" informed the Greek God of the Sea.

"More with those Devils? Honestly Poseidon I don't see why you enjoy them so much," scoffed Zeus with a shake of his head.

"Zeus, it's who's fighting that's you all need to see," explained Poseidon.

"What do you mean?" questioned a frowning Zeus, only for them all to her quite gasps of shock from the twins.

"No way…" breathed Apollo.

"It's not possible…" muttered Artemis.

"Apollo, Artemis, what's wrong?" questioned Amaterasu.

The two Greeks just silently held up identical arrows with pieces of paper attached to them, "The Chaste Huntress has returned…"

* * *

"All right Issei, you ready to show them how powerful Cu Chulainn really is?" grinned Scáthach as she, Issei and Asia walked into the preparation room, waiting for the match to start.

"Actually I'm not going to be using the Lancer card for this," informed Issei, making Scathach's eyes widen.

"Issei you can't! You're supposed to be a descendant of Cu Chulainn! If you use any of the others, you'll cause so many problems that it's not funny, even to me," frowned the witch.

"Umm…Scáthach, Issei? What are you talking about?" asked the nun, watching from the sidelines with a confused expression on her face.

"Don't worry Asia you'll find out in a minute," assured Issei before turning back to the witch. "Scáthach, I know what I'm doing, trust me."

"Indeed, this should be interesting," agreed a familiar male voice.

"Zelretch!? What the hell are you doing here?" exclaimed Issei, shocked at seeing the magician revealing himself like this.

"Come now Issei-kun, for something like this even I want a front row seat," smirked the magician.

"Issei are sure about this? There's no turning back after this, the whole world will change. Not to mention you'll be painting a huge target on your back, I like a good fight but I don't think you would," asked Scáthach with a frown.

"I'm sure, besides they'll be looking for the Chaste Huntress not Issei Hyoudou," replied the teen with a grin as he handed her the Rune necklace.

"What do you mean?" asked the witch as she grabbed the necklace off him.

"Just wait and see," smirked Issei.

The witch nodded and stepped to the opposite end of the room with Asia, the two of them watching with baited breath as Issei removed the Archer card from his holder and moved to the center of the room.

"Alright Ddraig just like we practiced, Boost my mana as much as you can without getting us killed," he ordered, as the familiar red gauntlet appeared on his arm.

 **[On it partner.]**

"Interesting, using the Sacred Gear as a power source to boost you reserves, now what will you do next Issei Hyoudou?" grinned the magician.

Instantly the room was bathed with a green light as the gems in the Boosted Gear began glowing brightly and a pained grimace appeared on Issei's face as he felt himself begin to be flooded with pain. The energy now coursing through his body threatening to erupt as Issei crouched down on the floor, the Archer card glowing fiercely as he place it on the ground.

Taking a deep breath Issei heard the words that Atalanta taught him echo in his head as a blood red magic circle spread out from the card and along the floor until Issei was in the perfect centre of it, then it began glowing faintly.

Zelretch's eyes widened slight while his grin turned into a concerned frown, 'I knew his power was growing fast but not this fast. And certainly not enough to attempt this, you really are full of surprises, aren't you boy? I guess I was right after all he really is a user, I can't wait to see how it affects the Class Cards.'

 _"Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill!_ " intoned Issei as the circle began pulsating with each word, Scáthach instantly shielding Asia as a massive amount of energy began filling the room, while Zelretch looked on unaffected.

Issei didn't seem bothered by this as he closed his eyes and continued chanting in a monotone voice, " _Repeat five time, but destroy each when filled."_

The entire room began shaking from the growing energy as Scáthach quickly drew a circle of protective Runes around Asia and herself, the nun fearfully grasping onto the witch while Scáthach herself just remained silent as she continued to observe.

" _Let silver and steel be the essence,"_ continued Issei, unimpeded by the forces now acting on the room they all occupied.

Scáthach and Asia just watched as they saw the floorboards beneath them begin to crack and the window panels began vibrating in their sills. Still despite this, their attention was focused entirely on Issei who was beginning to be obscured by the red glow of the magic circle. None of them noticing the magician's face gain a confused and yet intrigued expression as he heard Issei's next aria.

" _Let the power of the Welsh Dragon and the Archduke of contracts be the foundation,"_ chanted the teen as the light from the magic circle completely engulfed the teen in its red glow.

Scáthach and Asia heard the building give a low groan before the sound of cracking glass from the windows began followed by the door rattling in its frame. " _Let **red** be the color I pay tribute to," _ cried Issei as they heard his voice beginning to sound extremely pained.

" _Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall,"_ he shouted before the two of the observers were blasted by the winds now rushing around the room, the door and windows shaking much more violently than before.

" _L-let the four cardinal gates close,"_ coughed out the teen as the glass windows finally shattered, sending glass shards flying around the room.

Scáthach continued shielding the nun from the glass fragments and her runes began glowing as they warded the worse of the debris away from them, Zelretch just teleported any incoming projectiles away as he kept his gaze focused solely on Issei. " _Let the three-forked road from the Crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate,"_ called Issei, his voice rising in volume as the howling winds grew louder with him.

" _Let it be declared now!"_ shouted Issei as his voice finally reached its crescendo and Scáthach pushed Asia to the ground as the door suddenly blew off its hinges and buried itself into the wall behind them.

" _I, who is about to awaken,"_ cried the teen as the walls of the building itself began cracking from the energy now assaulting them and everyone heard what sounded like multiple voices whispering all around them.

'It would seem that even the Boosted Gear isn't unaffected by his power how intriguing, I wonder if this too will change things?' pondered the magician.

" _Call upon you, the Chaste Huntress, my flesh is your catalyst and our souls your power,"_ he coughed out, struggling to maintain his consciousness from the pain now burning throughout his body.

" _Now! S-submit to the beckoning of the Red Dragon Emperor a-and remake each in your own image,"_ intoned Issei before coughing again as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

" _I ask of you Atalanta, to become one with our souls,"_ continued the struggling teen as Scáthach and Asia cautiously got up from the ground in time to see the magic circle on the cracked floor boards begin to slowly rise.

" _Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth,"_ chanted Issei as the circle rose up to his midsection.

" _An oath shall be sworn here,"_ he shouted in an oddly high-pitched voice before his observers were blinded by sudden flashes as the pulsating circle grew brighter, forcing them to shield their eyes.

" _Together we shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven;"_ cried Issei as the energy that had been swirling around the room began rushing back into the circle.

" _For I am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from God,"_ chanted the teen as the circle reached up to his neck.

" _Together we shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell,"_ called Issei, the bright crimson light now shooting through the broken windows and illuminating the entire area.

" _For I am the Red Dragon of Domination,"_ he announced, his high pitched voice beginning to lower in volume as the circle's light started dimming.

" _And together we shall sink into the depths of crimson purgatory…"_ continued the teen in a soft voice, the crimson magic circle finally reaching over his head before staying there and giving one final blinding glow.

" _In order to fight All the World's Evil…"_ finished Issei as a last shockwave of energy rippled across the room, knocking Scáthach and Asia off their feet as Zelretch briefly blinked out of existence as the shockwave passed over him.

" ** _INSTALL ARCHER!"_**

* * *

 **Scáthach Stat sheet:**

 **STR: B**

 **CON: A**

 **AGI: A**

 **MAG: C**

 **LCK: D**

 **Magic Resistance (DxD verse): A**

 **Rune Magic: A**

 **Godslayer: B**

Due to Scathach's past experience with fighting God's, she deals more damage to those that have divine blood running through their veins.

 **Haunts of Wisdom: A+**

Haunts of Wisdom is the intellect of the abyss, acquired as a consequence of surpassing humans, killing Gods and being left behind in the outside of the world. Scáthach can use this to learn any skills at a B ranked level except for a few that are unique to only that hero, however the witch must first consider the person she is copying to be a hero for the skill to activate. Due to her isolation and high standards, very few have ever been able to reach this status, such as Cu Chulainn. This skill also gives the user the ability to teach these acquired skills to others, however the success rate is dependent on the student.

Known skills copied:

Clairvoyance: the ability to predict certain events before they happen. When used by Scáthach in combat it acts as an Eye of Mind (True).

Protection from Arrows.

Disengage.

Battle Continuation.

Magic Resistance (Nasuverse).

 **Gae Bolg Alternate: A+**

The ultimate attack of the Immortal Witch Scáthach, in which she produces two prototype models of Gae Bolg to cause heavy damage to her opponents and immobilize them, each ranking at a B ranked Noble Phantasm. After they have been immobilized she uses the current Gae Bolg and throws it at her trapped enemy, the attack then hits with the force equaling an A ranked Noble Phantasm.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, it was a bitch to write. I'm never doing chapters this long ever again that's for sure. Also, I have an idea for an OC arc planned but I need help from anyone who is knowledgeable about Fate/Grand Order to answer some questions.**

 **Is there a reason in the game that the protagonist has multiple Servants (aside from Goddamn EX mana reserves)?**

 **How do they keep teleporting to new areas and time zones?**

 **Does the Protagonist have a canon name like the one from Fate/Extra?**

 **Who is you favourite Servant from F/GO not already in use?**

* * *

 **P.S. Now you guys know why I didn't save Atalanta include state for the Riser arc.**

 **P.S.S Would anyone be willing to Beta the chapters released so far? I do my best but I know there are still quite a few gramma errors.**


	9. The Boar, The Dragon And The Phoenix

**Hope you enjoy the chapter guys. It's mostly action though...not a lot of plot.**

* * *

 **Question time:**

 **Issei and Excalibur: This has been a recurring question so I'll just answer it now…it's a secret that will be saved for Excalibur arc.**

 **Scathach vs Sirzechs: This came up a lot, between the two, Sirzechs would have won eventually. Scathach was literally on her last legs when she used her final attack, which the Maou met even though he was currently impaled and immobilized. The reason the fight turned out like it did was because each underestimated the other. Sirzechs thought he and Serafall could handle Scathach without needing to resort to his true power…and was completely wrong. Scathach thought she was just dealing with a normal Devil (granted an extremely powerful one). Both were completely caught by surprise by the other, which lead to a huge mistake on both their parts. The reason Scathach seemed to be adapting faster was because of her Clairvoyance skill allowed her to make fewer mistakes then Sirzechs.**

 **Dante Fernandez: Berserker will be answered this chapter. Scathach managed to hold out against Sirzechs, she is sadly not on par with him. As for being one of the ten strongest…I don't know because everywhere I've looked it doesn't tell me which God she has slayed. It seems that all they say is that she has slain many Gods but it never mentions which. If I knew that I could get an accurate comparison of her power level compared to the other Gods.**

 **picnic990: Technically Scathach, Zelretch and Sirzechs did that, Issei just had an instant disliking of him due to his attitude but he wouldn't of challenged him to a fight. However, when it became clear that Scathach had forced him to fight anyway, he decided to try and get something from it.**

 **LL: Indeed the irony is strong in this one…**

 **dsgundam00: Oh yeah, I have plans for Scail Mail when he achieves it, and I now know how he is going to as well.**

 **Hakurei no Miko: I made it a long chant to show that it was different from Kalied Illya Installing.**

 **Justarandomgu: Good guess but that's not Avenger.**

 **the lone soul: Glad you like it mate.**

 **Aaron: Um…I don't know what to say about the fights other then I'm sorry you didn't like them. As for the flow, I'll try and work on that for later chapters. Let me know if this one is better or worse.**

 **Vindicarassasin: I could come up with some retconned excuse for that…but I'll be honest and just say I fucked up. Still at least that's not a problem for Installing…**

 **blarg7865: True if we go off the actual historic depiction of her instead of Nasuverse one…she's a massive dick. But at the same time, historically Iskander was a tyrant but hey at least he's a bro in Fate Zero…**

 **Akuma-Heika: Fate/Cero is an abridged series of Fate/Zero that is one of my favourite. As for Le Fay…that can currently go either way right now. I'm still debating it.**

 **Broadcastdct: We'll see how the story evolves first, if the seven are sufficient then I'll leave them, if not then I'll add in the others.**

 **Indecisive Bob: You nailed it.**

 **cj1of4: You're almost completely correct about Installing.**

 **Hayane234: While that would work well, there is a major flaw that we both over looked…Arthur and Mordred** _ **are**_ **male in DxD not female. Or at least King Arthur is anyway. It was a good idea though so I my take aspects from it in later chapters.**

 **dragonrider66: Job's good mate thanks. I had a weak off which is how I was able to get this done so quickly. As for Juggernaut Drive…no comment.**

 **Kinunatzs: Fate Magic Resistance cancels out spells of a certain level doesn't it? While DxD just tanks the hits? As for Solomon…I have plans for him.**

 **Nirvana of Darkness: Glad you liked the sequence, and of course I picked her as Saber…for some reason I just prefer Mordred over Arturia. Yeah…Saber not going to be happy with them for sealing her away…meh I'm sure it'll turn out fine.**

 **rickyp01: I'm going to assume that others have already called you up on this but…Atalanta was made into a cat girl because she got turned into a lion by (Aphrodite?) because the one who won the race forgot to thank her for giving him the apples.**

 **Suzululu4moe: Nah that'd be taking it a bit too far I think.**

 **Squadpunk 2.0: Nailed it.**

 **Zerodragon: Things aren't always what they seem to be.**

 **Time Hollow: Yorokobe Shounen…**

 **general zargon: I was wondering if anyone had picked up on the song, glad you liked it.**

* * *

Zelretch's eyes narrowed as he saw the light finally die down and the circle fade away to reveal a sight he didn't expect to see. The figure standing before him was clearly the Chaste Huntress and yet at the same time it was not, it looked like someone had taken her form and then modified it.

She had numerous green gems embedded into her clothing and he noticed that she had heterochromatic eyes. One was Atalanta's normal green colour while the other was a familiar chocolate brown. Zelretch then noticed her gauntlets, one was the regular black he knew but the other was a bright crimson, each had a gem embedded in it.

However, the most striking change the magician noted was the massive red dragon that had been woven into her normal clothes, reaching up from her black boots to curl around the golden apple on her chest.

The girl just picked up a shard of glass before examining her reflection in interest, however the huntress quickly flinched in pain and dropped the makeshift mirror. Zelretch and his fellow observers just watched as the huntress clenched and unclenched her fists before nodding as if in response to something and holding out her black hand.

They all saw a small glow from the gem embedded in the girl's hand before Tauropolos materialized in her grasp, only it looked different. The once golden lines running along its jet-black surface had now turned a crimson shade of red, and Zelretch frowned, wondering if Tauropolos wasn't the only Noble Phantasm to be affected.

Scathach pushed Asia behind her protectively as she summoned Gae Bolg, "who are you?"

The girl just had an amused smile on her face as she turned to face them.

* * *

"Aright, if you see that human let me know, I want to deal with him personally," snarled Riser as they all teleported into the chosen battlefield.

Suddenly they heard a loud voice blaring over the arena, "the objective for this Rating Game is to take out the rival King. Both teams have started in clearings on the opposite ends of the forest, this is to be considered your territory."

"Teams please note that this forest is two kilometer in diameter, so take care not to get lost, now let the Rating Game begin!"

"Alright we have the advantage over the human in this since we can fly. He will be stuck trying to traverse the forest while we can just fly over it. Li, Ni, fly over and see if you can spot him, if you do shoot a fire ball up in the air," ordered Ravel.

The two Pawns nodded and started rising into the air, only to be hit with two consecutive arrows the minute they passed above the tree line, everyone's eyes widening as the force from the two arrows immediately knocked out the two Pawns.

"Riser Phenex's Pawns, Li and Ni have been retired," announced the shocked commentator, as the two pawns were teleported out.

"But that was over a kilometer away how could a weapon do that much damage over that distance, let alone someone being able to hit anything at that distance?" exclaimed a shocked Ravel.

"No more flying, we're just presenting easier targets," ordered Riser, making everyone acknowledge him as they began to set up a perimeter.

 _"Look, this is the fruit of fate. This glorious treasure once sparked the burning of Troy. Come closer if you wish for it."_

Riser looked up as he heard a soft voice whisper in his ear before spinning around and seeing an image of Rias giving him a seductive smile as she slowly backed away into the woods, beckoning him to follow. He wanted her! His lovely Rias! He wanted her! He would have her and no human would stand in his way! He had to have her!

Ravel had just started organizing the peerage members when she spotted Riser beginning to split off from the main group, a dazed look on his face as he began to walk into the darkened woods. "Brother, what are you doing?" shouted the Devil as rushed over to her brother.

Riser seemed to take no notice of her though and the Devil snarled as he shoved her off his arm before turning back to the forest with a frantic expression. "Where is she? I have to have her! WHERE IS SHE?!" he roared in fury.

The rest of his peerage just watched on in shock as he spun to face them with a furious expression, "all of you spread out! Find my lovely Rias!"

"Brother, what are you talking about? Rias Gremory isn't here," informed Ravel, making Riser frown as the furious look on his face disappeared into a confused expression.

"But she was just there, you had to see her," he explained, pointing at the tree line.

"Riser-sama, I was looking in that direction, no one was there," replied Yubelluna with a worried frown.

Ravel was silent before her eyes widened, "it must have been the human, trying to separate us from our King. From now on we need to move in groups, if you see anyone wandering off alone then stop them! We don't want the human to pick us off one by one."

The rest of the peerage looked at her before turning back to Riser, whom still seemed slightly dazed and confused before they nodded in agreement. "So what do we do then?" asked Siris, the Knight turning to their tactician with an expectant expression.

Ravel was quiet for a couple of seconds as she pondered the best course of action, there was only one opponent and they knew where his territory was. She would have liked to charge him en mass and overwhelm the teen but with her brother still in his confused daze, the chances were great that he would be targeted. Even if they did have Phoenix's Tears and her brother's own powerful regeneration, there was a little voice in the back of her head, a bad feeling that something was very wrong with this situation. 'We need to know what the human is capable of, we need scouts,' she decided, frowning as she turned to the Pawns.

"All the Pawns are to head towards the enemy's territory, draw him out from hiding. If he refuses to come out then promote yourselves, the rest of us will stay here and keep my brother safe until he recovers," she ordered, getting nods from everyone present.

"Be careful, that forest gives me a bad feeling," she warned the Pawns, making everyone turn to face the edge of the clearing with an anxious expression.

Within the forest two cat-like eyes narrowed as they stared at the assembled Devils, her tongue clicking in annoyance at the failure of her first plan before she melded back into the forest depths, her form disappearing as it slowly stalked the Devils entering her domain.

* * *

Mira frowned as she and her fellow Pawns made their way through the dark forest, its dim light making even her Devil eyesight struggle to pierce its shadows, for the first time the Devils found themselves wishing for the sun. The next problem was that they were being followed, and all of them knew it. They had had the feeling of being watched ever since they'd entered this accused forest, and to make matters worse they still didn't know if it was there imagination or not.

"I don't like this, where is he?" muttered Marion quietly as she warily glanced at the shadows surrounding them.

"It doesn't matter, look there's the clearing," replied Shuriya, lifting the spirts of all the Devils as they finally emerged from the darkened forest.

"I can't believe it…why would he leave his territory undefended?" murmured Mira in shock at this apparent stupidity.

"Who cares Mira? Come on, lets promote and get back to Riser-sama," shot back Nel as her twin sister Ile nodded.

Deciding to put her concerns to the back of her mind Mira nodded as they all followed the Pawn's suggestions, instantly all the pawns glowed as they promoted to Queens.

"Riser Phenex's Pawns have promoted!" announced the commentator in disbelief and the audience sighed, realizing the match was all but over.

" **Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow!** " shouted a female voice as the group of Pawns turned behind them to see a cat girl shooting twin arrows, glowing with a crimson light into the sky before lowering her bow.

"Cat ears and a tail? Skill at using illusions…Youjutsu? A Nekoshou? I thought we were fighting a human? Scratch that…I thought that you were all wiped out," frowned Mira as she gripped her wooden staff tighter.

"Well this saves us the time of hunting you down," grinned Nel as the two twins revved their chainsaws, apparently unperturbed by the huntress suddenly revealing herself.

"What's so funny?" growled Marion as the Pawns surrounded their prey, only to see a smirk appear on the huntress' face as she stepped into the bright daylight and they heard the sound of falling rain getting louder.

'Wait daylight? It was night a couple of seconds ago wasn't it?' blinked Mira as she looked up at the sky and a quiet gasp of shock echoed from her as the Pawn's staff fell from suddenly numb hands. Seeing this the rest of the Pawns frowned as they turned to the sky, and immediately dropped their weapons from shock.

"My gratitude for bunching up," smirked the huntress as the rain of red arrows lit up the night sky.

There was a brief moment of serenity, almost like the calm before the storm as everyone stared at the beautiful light show illuminating the night sky before the red arrows began their descent to the earth. Then all the audience could see was a hail of crimson arrows as the light projectiles rained down on the Devils, the arrows' light element poisoning their bodies with every strike. Mira turned back to face the huntress as she felt her body get pierced by numerous arrows, watching as the girl disappeared back into the forest. 'We never stood a chance,' she realized in resignation before finally succumbing to the pain and blacking out.

* * *

Sirzechs and the rest of the Maou just watched the crimson rain in shock, "did she just say…what I think she did?" asked Serafall in shock, getting nods from her fellow Maous.

"Tauropolos…but it can't be that weapon was lost years ago!" exclaimed Ajuka in shock.

"What's lost can eventually be found again," pointed out Sirzechs with a frown. "The more important question is where did they get it and why is it functioning like that? Legends said that only the champion of Artemis could use Phoebus Catastrophe."

"There's no way a member of the Celts could ever use that weapon," agreed Ajuka as his eyes narrowed. "Sirzechs just what is going on here?

The Maou looked over to Scathach and her party, noting the lack of the descendant of Cu Chulainn, before he began to walk over to them. Ajuka seeing his expression and following close behind him as they approached, causing Scathach to give him a smug smile as she turned to face him.

"Maou, are you enjoying the fight?" she asked, smugly.

"What game are you playing at Scathach? You told me a member of the Celts would be fighting Riser, not a missing champion of the Greeks!" he growled, softly.

Upon hearing this Asia moved to hide behind Zelretch while Scathach's smile just widened, "when did I tell you that? I merely said a member of _my_ faction would fight Riser, how was I supposed to know you thought I meant the Celts?"

"Scathach…you know as well as I that the Greeks will be angry at this, and they might even take it out on us Devils for not informing them," sighed the Crimson Satan tiredly.

The witch shrugged, "if you think we've cheated you somehow then by all means call off this fight, I doubt you sister will get another chance like this though."

"Whatever you decide Sirzechs, I'm with you," assured Ajuka, making the Maou smile at his friend before turning back to face the fight with a conflicted expression.

The Maou briefly thought about imprisoning the witch and just simply handing her over to the Greeks after the fight when he remembered the old man standing behind her, watching the scene unfolding before him like a child watching his favourite movie. 'I still don't know the extent of his abilities, even with Ajuka here I don't know if we could win,' he sighed.

"Alright Scathach you win, but just answer me one thing," frowned the Maou.

"And what's that?" asked the Godslayer, curiously.

"This new faction you're a part of…what is it?" questioned Sirzechs, making an amused smile appear on her face.

"One of a kind," she replied, before turning back to the fight.

* * *

"R-R-Riser Phenex's Pawns have all been eliminated!" yelled the commentator, causing the remaining members of Riser's peerage to blink in shock.

"What?!" cried Ravel as she heard the announcement.

That shouldn't have been possible, they had all Promoted! They were all Queens! What could be so powerful that it was able to defeat multiple Queens?!

"Um Ravel what do we do now?" whispered Yubelluna with a worried expression, only for them both to see an arrow come soaring out of the tree line and impact Riser in the head.

"Brother/ Riser-sama!" cried his peerage as they saw the Nekoshou emerge from the trees and quickly got into defensive positions.

"Thou's regeneration is impressive, let us see how it compares to Berserker of Red's," commented the girl, watching as half of Riser's face was swiftly regenerated.

"Thou might have the power of a Phoenix, but thou art still a Devil. No matter what, thou will always be weak when forced into the light," commented the huntress as she once again nocked her arrows and pointed Tauropolos towards the moon.

"With my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for the divine protection of the Sun God Apollo and the Moon Goddess Artemis. I offer thee this calamity," she chanted, causing the arrows to glow a bright crimson.

" **Phoebus Catastrophe: Compliant Message on the Arrow!** " she shouted, activating the Noble Phantasm as it rushed towards the moon, delivering its complaint to its Gods.

Once again, they heard the same sound of falling rain and Riser's peerage fearfully looked up at the sky, only to see one single large arrow of light come barreling towards Riser at an unimaginable speed. The Devil tried to dodge the attack but wasn't quick enough and he cried out in pain as the red arrow slammed into him, the light element poisoning his body.

To the observers it was a horrible sight, the bottom half Devil's body was simply blown away from the arrow, and to make matters worse his regeneration was _slowing_ , the light element inflicting heavy damage on the Devil as it continued to poison his body. His remaining peerage members quickly dragged him out of the huntress' sight while Karlamine and Siris charged the archer, distracting her while the rest quickly used a Phoenix Tear on Riser's struggling body.

"That damn Nekoshou!" growled Riser as his body finally regenerated, the Phoenix Tears and his own regeneration purging the light element from his body.

Meanwhile the two Devil Knights were struggling to fight with the huntress, finding out the hard way that their speed was useless here. No matter how hard they pushed themselves, the huntress was just too quick, easily outmaneuvering them despite holding the large bow in her hand. Siris watched as the girl ducked under her swing before grabbing the Devil's wrist and throwing Siris into Karlamine, the two Knights colliding with each other and collapsing to the ground.

The huntress then readied another arrow only to be hit with what felt like a bomb as her Magic Resistance failed to cancel out the attack, making the huntress quickly glance at Yubelluna whom was already creating another magic circle. Realizing the threat the Queen posed she immediately shot her readied arrow at the Devil, sending Yubelluna tumbling to the earth as the force from Tauropolos impacted with the power of an A ranked attack and easily overwhelmed her Queen defense.

The huntress growled in frustration as the two Devil Knights used this time to untangle themselves while Ravel rushed over with their final vial of Phoenix Tears, quickly administering it before the Queen had to be forcibly retired. Unfortunately, upon seeing this the Devil Knights lowered their guard as relief flooded them, it was only a momentary relapse but for the huntress it was all she needed. Jumping over Siris' Zweihänder the huntress kicked her in the gut before pushing her away with a shoulder charge, knocking the Devil to the ground.

Seeing that Siris was temporarily dealt with the huntress turned her attention back to Karlamine as she leapt backwards, using her greater speed to her advantage as she retreated back into the forest with her prey following close behind. The Devil Knight stopped at the edge of the clearing, wary of following the huntress into the darken woods alone.

 _"Look, this is the fruit of fate. This glorious treasure once sparked the burning of Troy. Come closer if you wish for it,_ " beckoned a voice from within the woods.

Karlamine frowned before she saw her beloved Riser appear in the edge of the tree line fearfully looking at something behind him as he urgently beckoned her closer, causing the Knight's mind to focus in on him. He was in danger! He needed her! Her King was in danger and as his Knight she would not allow that!

The rest of the peerage could do nothing as they saw a dazed expression appear on the Knight's face, before her eyes widened and she ran into the forest with an urgent look on her face. "Hold on Riser-sama!" screamed the Knight as she disappeared into the forest.

"Karlamine STOP!" ordered Riser, realizing what had happened but it was too late and they quickly heard a female cry of pain echo from within the forest.

"Riser Phenex's Knight has retired!" shouted the announcer, making all the Devil's grit their teeth in frustration.

"Everyone get away from the trees, stay in the centre of the clearing and stick together!" ordered Ravel, and the peerage followed her directions as they formed a loose circle around Riser.

Elsewhere in the woods two cat-like eyes narrowed as they saw the Devil's new formation, indeed the child was a good tactician to give such orders. But they were underestimating the skill of the Chaste Huntress, no matter the conditions her arrows would not miss their marks, even at this range.

All Mihae felt was a sudden pain in her chest before she suddenly blacked out, to the rest of the Devils the Bishop was there one second before an arrow embedded itself in her breast and Mihae collapsed to the ground before her body disappeared.

"Riser Phenex's Bishop has been retired!" cried the commentator as the crowd was on the edge of their seats at the sudden turnaround of the match.

"Damn it, how can she hit us? Just who the hell are we dealing with?" snarled Riser as a second arrow came flying at his head, only for Siris to quickly push him to the ground.

"That's it! If that damn Nekoshou wants to hide in the trees then so be it! Ravel come with me, the rest of you act as our bodyguards," snarled Riser, getting nods from his remaining peerage members as they advanced towards the tree line.

Suddenly Riser had an enormous cone of fire erupt from his hands as he began burning the surrounding forest to cinders, with Ravel following his example after a moment's hesitation. The two members of the Phoenix clan continued trying to smoke out the huntress as they slowly pushed further into the woods, the smoke blocking the moonlight as flames danced along the forest floor.

"Brother, we should fall back we're going too far into the forest and wasting too much power in doing this," advised Ravel, causing a low growl to escape the older sibling.

"NO! That damned Nekoshou will pay for insulting me like this!" snarled Riser as his rage began burning even hotter than the flames surrounding them.

"Searching for me Devil?" asked an amused voice.

The Devils all spun around and readied their weapons as they saw the green clad huntress emerge from within the smoke, the flames seeming to part before her as she approached them. Riser just snarled as his two Rooks moved to shield him from her bow, their Rook defense giving them the best chance at surviving the hit.

The huntress just gazed at the two peerage members before she glared at Riser, "I fear to ask but…why are all thou's peerage female?"

"Ha, they are my harem. Of course they would all be female," he replied with a laugh, causing the huntress' eyes to narrow.

"So thou had no intention of being faithful to Rias in the first place? Even after thou forced her into a marriage contract?" she asked, in a deadly calm voice.

Riser just scoffed, "why should I? Rias will be mine regardless of what she wants, so why should I need to care about things like that?"

The Nekoshou just tightened the grip on her bow before she turned her gaze to Ravel, "and what about that one?"

Riser smirked as he beckoned Ravel closer and gently caressed her cheeks, "this is my dear little sister Ravel, and one of my favourite types."

Riser and the rest of his peerage then took a fearful step back as they saw the huntress glance at Ravel again, before a look of rage crossed her face as she slowly walked towards them. "That is a child…thou's own flesh and blood! Does thou have no shame? Treating her like that! Treating all of them as if they're are mere toys!" growled the girl as she glared at the Devils.

Suddenly they all saw the gems decorating her body begin glowing a bright green as the Nekoshou closed her eyes, her tail now standing rigid against her back. "I wasn't going to use this but now…Riser Phenex…now thou hast made me _mad_ ," she snarled, opening her eyes to reveal them glowing the same colour as the gems.

Not a word was spoken from Riser or his peerage, even the crowd watching the Rating Game was in silent shock as they saw a blood crimson energy explode out from the girl and blast into her opponents, knocking them off their feet as the winds quickly smothered what flames remained. As they slowly got to their feet, the Devils saw small green spheres beginning to float around the huntress. Shadows obscuring her face and leaving only her glowing eyes visible as they heard soft sobs begin to echo across the forest.

" _We are the ones who laugh at the Infinite,"_ chanted the huntress, sounding as if hundreds of voices were speaking at once.

Everyone watched as the red dragon woven into her clothing began to _move_ , climbing up from her long black boots and uncurling from the apple before reaching out to the green sleeves and coming to rest on her left shoulder. Then the Devils all gasped as they saw a snarling red dragon head materialize on her left shoulder as spots of black began to appear on her green clothes, like blood spreading across still water.

" _We are the ones who grieve at the Dream,"_ she continued, the green orbs floating around her multiplying and growing louder as the energy swirling around the huntress increased and began spreading out from her body.

Riser and his peerage looked at the approaching energy fearfully as they saw it strip the leaves from the trees, while all but the strongest of plants snapped like twigs as the red outline passed over them. The huntress then took another step forward as a black pelt seemed to materialize over her clothes, her gauntlet's fingers becoming sharp talons and her teeth morphing into sharp canines.

" _We are the ones who chose the path of ruin,"_ called the girl in a harsh voice as the light from the moon vanished behind the clouds, leaving only her glowing gems to bathe the forest in its ominous green light.

As the pelt covered her body, a second glow of a pure black appeared around her form alongside the crimson aura before the two energies began to intertwine, creating an oppressive and threating atmosphere as the last of the remaining plant life surrounding them was destroyed. The Devils could only watch and tremble as they saw a pure black snarling boar head appear on the huntress' right shoulder, contrasting the bright crimson dragon head on her left.

" _We are what the world desires,"_ she announced, as Riser fearfully threw a large fireball at her, only to see it hit nothing as the huntress gave a lazy half turn.

"What are all of you waiting for? Attack! Before she finishes that spell!" he ordered his peerage, causing them to snap out of their fear induced states and ready their ranged spells.

His peerage fired their spells at the huntress, only to see the attacks fizzle and fade away to nothing once they reached their target, as if something had canceled out the spells themselves. All the Devils had their jaws drop at this before they tried again with similar results.

" _We are what the world rejects,"_ continued the huntress, ignoring the failing attacks as the ground beneath them starting to shake and everyone felt the power surrounding her increase even further.

* * *

Back in the observation stands Sirzechs and the rest of his fellow Maou were watching the event unfolding before them on the screen with a strange sense of foreboding. "This power it almost feels like…no that's not possible, there's been no sigh of it appearing since it's last wielder," frowned Beelzebub, getting worried looks from his fellow Maou as they watched the fight.

"Ajuka, what's wrong?" asked Sirzechs, only to get silence from his friend as the Devil continued studying the transforming huntress, making the Crimson Satan frown before turning his attention back to the fight.

* * *

" _We are power,"_ stated the numerous voices, as the last patches of green on the girl's clothing disappeared and was replaced by black with red and purple lines joining each of the gems over her body.

Riser and his peerage instantly took to the skies as soon as they felt the ground shake, fearing some form of attack from bellow, their black bat-like wings completely camouflaged against starless night, while Riser and Ravel's burned like bright beacons. Realizing that low level magic wasn't going to work, Yubelluna readied one of her signature fire 'bomb' spells and sent it at the huntress.

Suddenly everyone gasped as they heard the sound of bones shifting and changing as two giant red skeletal wing-like structures erupted from the girl's back before moving to block the spell, which appeared to do no damage to it as the bomb detonated and left not a single blemish. Riser turned to order his Queen to attack once more, only to find Yubelluna and the rest of his peerage trembling in fright, the King was about to berate his peerage when he caught sight of the huntress' green glowing eyes and found his protests died unspoken.

" _And now we are the ones who are caged in Madness,"_ shouted the girl as everyone saw green glowing gems blink into existence along the red bony wings, followed by almost sword like tips emerging along the ends.

" _And yet there is no one there to hold our chains,"_ cried the huntress, and Riser felt the violent aura around her intensify as a mad light seemed to appear in her eyes.

* * *

"Ajuka, what is that?" gasped Serafall as she stared at the monstrosity slowly forming before them.

"I don't know, it's not Senjutsu in fact it almost feels like the Juggernaut Drive but that's impossible. We all know the chant to use that power and besides if the Sekiryuutei had been awakened we would know about it," answered Beelzebub.

"So then what is it? A subspecies?" asked Sirzechs as they continued to stare at the growing power forming below them.

"I don't know Sirzechs, in fact I don't even know if that's a Sacred Gear or not, remember that they can only appear in humans. However, it's clear that this faction is certainly not one we can afford to ignore, for them to have something like this on their side," replied Ajuka.

"Agreed," replied Sirzechs as he quickly glanced at the area where Scathach, Zelretch and Asia had claimed, each watching with mixed expressions of eagerness, confusion or worry in the nun's case, before turning back to the fight below them.

* * *

" _For we are_ _the Calydonian Boar_ ," shouted the multitude of voices as the green orbs floating around the girl began glowing brighter and the black and crimson energy swirling around her began to dissipate.

Seeing this protective field go away Riser's remaining Knight rushed forward intending to use her quick speed to take her apparently preoccupied opponent by surprise, only to feel pain erupt in her stomach as she got close to her target. Frowning the Devil looked down and saw one of the spiked wing ends piercing her stomach, Siris was then lifted up by the impaling limb before being tossed aside like a used chew toy.

"R-Riser Phenex's Knight retires!" cried the commentator as the Devil's body quickly vanished and she was rushed to the emergency room.

The huntress didn't even look at her blood covered wing as she continued her chant, apparently unfazed by the attack from the Knight. " _Now, until we sink into the Crimson Purgatory with our Master,_ " chanted the girl softly, and everyone could have sworn they saw all the green orbs surrounding her briefly turn into red armoured figures.

" _Let us rage…once more,"_ finished the girl as they saw both heads on her shoulders seem to absorb the last of the green orbs before their eyes glowed with the same green colour as her own.

 **Raging Boar Serving The Heavenly Dragon: Agrius Metamorphosis!**

There was silence after this declaration, no one daring to say a word as the moon finally emerged from hiding and illuminated the destroyed forest with its bright light. The huntress just looked up at the Devils flying above her before unleashing a roar that caused chills to run down their spines, "▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!"

* * *

The Greeks just sat in their thrones watching the unfolding match with horror as they saw the monstrosity appearing before them. "Artemis…Apollo…what is that?" gasped Amaterasu, whom had been allowed to attend under Zeus' orders.

"I…I don't know," replied Apollo in complete shock, while Artemis' eyes widened in horror.

"Daughter, you know something don't you?" stated Zeus as everyone turned to the Moon Goddess.

Artemis slowly nodded her head, "that power…it almost resembles that of the Boar of Divine Punishment."

"The Calydonian Boar? Impossible!" exclaimed Apollo as the rest of the shocked Greeks exchanged worried expressions.

Amaterasu just stared at the Greeks in confusion as she spoke up, "what is the Calydonian Boar?"

Artemis turned to look at the Shinto Goddess with a grim expression, "the Calydonian Boar was a Divine Beast that I sent down to punish those of the city Calydon, it rampaged non-stop and slaughtered many would be heroes before it was killed."

The Greek Goddess then turned back to the screen as she continued, "Atalanta and a party of heroes were the ones who set out to kill the beast."

"So they are merely coping the power of your champion again?" asked Amaterasu, causing Artemis to shake her head.

"No, I did debate giving Atalanta the power of the Boar, but in the end I decided against it. After all even though the credit of the kill was given to her, she never took the fatal shot herself," replied the Goddess.

"I see," muttered the Shinto God in a worried voice.

"This certainly is an intriguing development, I must admit I thought you two had adopted Insanity into your Domains when I heard of this theory of yours," commented Athena, getting low growls from the twins.

"Just what are we dealing with here? Are we really looking at the Chaste Huntress reborn?" wondered Poseidon.

"No," replied the twins, immediately.

"How can you be so sure?" frowned Ares.

"Do you doubt our ability to recognize our own champion Ares?" growled Apollo as he stood up from his seat.

Artemis quickly grabbed her brother's arm, "what my brother means is that you're avoiding the main issue here, our champion was _human_. Not this…this…"

"Youkai," supplied Amaterasu, making everyone spin to face the Shinto God. "That is a species native to my territory, however their race was supposed to be wiped out by the Devils."

"Well I suppose now we motivation for her joining Khaos Brigade," frowned Zeus, making Hades spin to face him.

"Brother you're not taking those rumors seriously I hope," replied the Greek God of the Underworld, making everyone turn to face the usually silent God in shock.

"Recent evidence has lead me to believe that they are anything but rumors Hades, and if this is the kind of power they have at their disposal they clearly are more of a threat then we give them credit for," frowned Zeus.

"How do we know that they are responsible? It could be the Celts for all we know," argued Hades.

Poseidon frowned as they all stared at the Greek God of the Underworld, "Hades you've never been this…confrontational about outside issues before, is something wrong?"

The skeletal God just shook his head, "I don't see the point worrying about make believe factions when the real enemy is obvious."

"Dagda is not responsible for this I can assure you," informed Amaterasu, making Hades turn to her and everyone could fell the anger flowing out of him.

"And we're supposed to trust the word of this _fox_ who couldn't even keep her own followers in line?" he sneered, causing a low growl to escape the Shinto Goddess.

Zeus rounded on his brother, "Hades she is my guest and will be treated as such, do I make myself clear?"

Hades just nodded stiffly, "very well brother, I shall treat her with the respect she _deserves_."

The leader of the Greeks just sighed before he shot his Shinto counterpart an apologetic look, getting a nod of understanding from her as he returned to watching the screen. There was silence as they all watched the transformation complete, all their eyes narrowing as they heard a specific line of the chant.

" _For we are_ _the Calydonian Boar…"_

Artemis gripped her chair tightly as she tried to keep her rage from boiling over, whoever this imposter was…they were imitating her champion and insulting her memory. And they would soon find themselves regretting that decision…she swore it.

"Well I think that's definitive proof that this is now our business, we need to find out as much as we can about this 'Khaos Brigade," stated Poseidon, breaking the silence and getting nods of agreement form everyone except Hades, whom continued to watch the screen.

Suddenly the Greek God of the Underworld rose from his chair and turned to face Zeus, "brother, leave finding out about this 'Khaos Brigade' to me."

"That's quite the change of tune Hades," observed Apollo with raised eyebrows.

The Trinity God of Olympus kept his gaze focused solely Zeus as he replied, "you need someone who will investigate these rumors with an unbiased eye, Apollo, Artemis and even yourself might see connections that aren't really there. Trust me, if this Khaos Brigade truly does exist then I will inform you."

Zeus was silent before he eventually nodded, "very well Hades, you will be put in charge of the investigation of this 'Khaos Brigade.'"

"And this imposter?" growled Artemis as she gestured back to the screen.

"It is under Hades jurisdiction now, you are not to get involved unless he allows it, either of you," ordered Zeus to the twins.

Artemis and Apollo said nothing as they silently raged at this decision, meanwhile the rest of the Gods just continued watching the fight with interest. After all, whether or not it was truly the Chaste Huntress down there, everyone had to admit that this kind of event was truly unprecedented.

* * *

Riser and his remaining airborne peerage stared at the monstrosity below them in horror before Ravel snapped out of her trace, "don't worry as long as we stay in the air and out of melee range will be fine."

Unfortunately as if hearing this, the monster below them looked at the bow in its left hand before they heard the sound of bones shifting again, watching as its arm and bow was covered by the black pelt before the pelt retreated to reveal the bow now fused to her arm. 'What the?' thought Ravel before they all sensed a dense magical energy form in the bow.

The Devils dodged to the side as the prana took the form of an arrow before it was released from Tauropolos and sent flying at them. Unfortunately Isabela wasn't quick enough to dodge and screamed in pain before she fell to the earth like a stone in water, her Rook defense and natural magic resistance protecting her enough so that it wasn't an instant KO as she landed with a grimace and struggled to her feet.

However, the minute she tried to stand the Devil felt a powerful kick hit her in the stomach, sending her flying through the air before she managed to open her eyes just in time to see the monster inches from her face. The Rook tried to punch her opponent as she used her wings to attempt to regain control of her flight pattern, only to see her punch connect to nothing but an afterimage as Isabela felt a hand close around her face before being thrown into the ground.

The Devil landed with a loud crash as she created a large creator, the monster not far behind, the ground shaking as it landed on all fours and stared at the Devils still high in the air. "▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!" roared the beast before returning its attention back to Isabela, whom was clutching her masked face in pain as she got up.

"ISABELA MOVE!" ordered Riser, only for the warning to come too late as the monster appeared in front of her and stabbed its sword like wings into the Rook before leaping back and firing a barrage of arrows at the Devils still in the air.

The entire process occurred in the space of nanoseconds as the monster seemed to be moving so fast that it appeared to be teleporting from one location to the other, thankfully none of the rapid-fire arrows had the accuracy of their slower counterparts and Riser breathed a sigh of relief as they all went soaring over his head.

The monster glanced down at its bow-fused hand before it let out a growl of frustration and they watched as the black pelt moved to cover the red gem encrusted skeletal wings before once again retreating to reveal black leather flaps of skin now covering the skeletal wings, giving them the appearance of a dragon's wings. Riser's eyes widened as he saw the beast give them a test flap before it began beating them rapidly as it slowly rose from the ground.

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!" bellowed the beast as it turned its gaze to Riser and suddenly he felt something rip his arm clean off before he was sent slamming into the ground below them.

"Brother/Riser-sama!" came the collective call from his peerage as they watched the monster appear in front of their King again before he had even got to his feet and kicked him in gut.

Riser felt his arm instantly regenerate as he rolled along the ground before he felt something grasp his head and begin to squeeze. The Devil cried out in pain as he felt the pressure increase on his skull and saw the beast once more in front of him, literally squeezing the life out of him. Thankfully, before his skull caved in the monster was forced to let go of his hand as the injured Isabela bull rushed it, using her Rook enhanced strength to pry its clawed hands off him even as the wings once again pierced her body. Riser backed up as he saw Isabela's body fade away leaving only her half mask remaining, as the commentator once again gave a score update.

"Riser Phenex's Rook has been retired! Riser's remaining pieces are his Queen, Bishop and Rook!" announced the commentator as low mutterings could be heard from the observing Devils.

Riser just looked at Isabela's half mask in shock before whatever fear he had once felt was replaced by a burning anger, yes he will admit that he wasn't the best of individuals. He will admit that he wasn't the kindest or the most helpful person around. He will admit that he was arrogant! That he was overconfident! That he was a player! But that didn't matter anymore!

His peerage knew all this and was trying their best to help him even though they were dropping like flies, and he would be damned if he let this _thing_ make their sacrifices worthless. From a fight that he started with his own arrogance no less! Riser might not be the epitome of what a Devil should be…but if there was one thing he truly cared about…it was his peerage.

'This isn't about Rias anymore, to hell with her! This is between me and that damned Nekoshou!' thought the member of the Phenex clan as the fire wings on his back reappeared, their blazing flames lighting up the night and contrasting the ominous glow from the green gems embedded in the red and black dragon wings.

"So this is why mother and father warned about my arrogance, hah I really am a disgrace," laughed the Devil, everyone feeling Demonic energy beginning to gather around Riser, even the monster before them pausing in what was the closest thing to caution its animalistic mind could comprehend.

"But even if I am a disgrace I am still a member of the Phenex Clan…and I will make you pay for that, monster! Ravel, Yubelluna, Xuelan, stay back I'll deal with this," he ordered, as the flames on his wings grew hotter, beginning to rival that of a blazing sun.

"Brother you can't!" protested Ravel, along with her fellow peerage members.

"If you stay here I can't guarantee your safety, believe me you don't want to be anywhere near us once this starts," informed Riser, flames now dancing around his whole body while the beast he was fighting simply bellowed another roar.

"But-" began Yubelluna, only to be interrupted by Riser as the heat from the Devil grew so intense that it started setting the ground beneath the two fighters ablaze.

"DO IT NOW! THAT IS AN ORDER!" commanded Riser and the last three members of his peerage took one last look at the fighters standing at opposite ends of the destroyed forest, one side in flames while the other completely smashed as dead plants littered the ground.

"Good luck," wished Ravel before they ran to the relative safety of one of the few remaining undamaged parts of the forest.

Riser watched them go with a sigh of relief before an amused smirk appeared on his face as he turned back to the beast before him. The Devil then took a deep breath as his Demonic power skyrocketed and the raging flames around him intensified, "sorry about that, ready for round two?"

The Devil's smile just widened as he heard the roar in response to his challenge before the green glow of its gems intensified, meeting the blazing red flames of the Phenex and bathing the two fighters in their respective glows.

"Alright then, let's go!" snarled Riser as a large bonfire erupted around him.

* * *

"I never thought I'd ever see my brother like this, whether he wins or loses…I think this fight was good for him," commented Ruval as the Phenex family watched the fight playing out before them.

His parents nodded, "indeed I think this fight was a much needed wake up call for him, I just wish it wasn't so brutal," sighed Lord Phenex.

"It was needed father, we all know that," reminded Ruval, causing his father to sigh tiredly.

"Indeed, we should give our thanks to that Nekoshou after this," agreed Lady Phenex as they turned back to the fight continuing to be fought on screen.

"He's really giving it his all, isn't he?" muttered Ruval in amazement as they saw another bonfire erupt.

"Your brother has had a fire lit inside him, he has finally found something more valuable than his lust," approved Lord Phenex.

"And what's that father?" asked the eldest son.

Lord Phenex smiled as he saw the fierce expression on his youngest son's face, "his pride, he won't allow himself to give up now. He still has to protect his peerage, just like a good King should."

"I see," frowned Ruval as he stared at his brother, trying to work out just what was going through his younger sibling's head.

* * *

Riser watched as the cone of fire erupted from his hand and went sailing towards the Nekoshou, if it could still be called that at this point, and growled as he saw her vanish. Realizing what was about to happen Riser surrounded his body in raging flames before pushing it away for him in a shockwave of fire and heat.

The Devil was rewarded with the pain howls of the beast as he spun around and saw her clothes and pelt now alight with flames, the monster then gave another roar as crimson and black energy once again appeared around her before exploding outwards. The force of the attack causing numerous cuts to Riser chest as he was knocked back a few feet and put out the flames that were spreading across the beast's body.

Growling in frustration Riser took to the air once more and sent a massive wall of fire at the beast, watching as it brought its gigantic red black dragon wings up to shield itself from the flames. Riser gritted his teeth as he saw the flames fail to cause much damage to his opponent as the wings took the brunt of the attack, the dragon scale like armour on the wings resisting most of his damage.

Suddenly Riser watched as the black boar pelt grew to cover the beast's whole body and as it slowly receded, Riser saw her skin seeming to be covered in what was beginning to look like scales. The Devil frowned as he sent another fireball at the transforming monster and saw his flames appear to be nothing more than an annoyance to it as the flame resistant scales protected the vulnerable parts of her body.

"Damn it," growled Riser, as the image of beast blinked out of existence before reappearing with its clawed hand stabbing into his gut and causing the Phenex member to cough up blood, even as his regeneration spun into overdrive.

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!" roared the beast, inches from his face.

The Devil grimanced before he shoved his hand towards the monster's open mouth and quickly conjured a massive fireball, the beast screamed in pain and rage as the attack detonated in her face. In retaliation the monster then bite down on the offending hand, her sharp canine teeth piercing through his soft skin and Riser struggled to maintain his consciousness as he felt his hand get sheared clean off by the razor sharp teeth.

Riser's wings blazed brightly as he tried to break out of the beast's grip, feeling it continually stabbing him in the gut with its clawed hand, the Devil's regeneration struggling to keep up with the assault he was taking. Riser himself knew that this couldn't go on, already he could feel his regeneration slowing down as his Demonic power reserves began to lower to dangerous levels.

It looked like it was over for the Phenex when the beast suddenly roared in pain as they heard the familiar sound of a bomb going off, followed by it releasing Riser from its grip as Xuelan sent a powerful flame coated kick into its head. The beast was sent flying from the force of the kick as the martial artist continued her assault, not wanting to give the incredibly fast monster time to recover its sense as she preceded to throw attack after attack at it.

"Brother are you okay?" cried Ravel as she and Yubelluna rushed over to him.

"I thought I told you three to run," sighed Riser as he was helped back to his feet.

"Our apologies Riser-sama, we will accept whatever punishment you deem fit after this," replied Yubelluna, making the King shake his head with a sigh.

"Ravel, what do you think?" he asked his sister, as they examined the growling beast as it continued to be assaulted by Xuelan.

The young Phenex frowned as she analyzed their opponent, "all but our strongest spells are useless and even the ones that do hit aren't that effective thanks to its scales. It's strong but our Rooks appear to be stronger, the real problem is its speed. We have no way to counter something that fast."

Ravel then smiled, "so we don't let it recover from the assaults, we stay on the offensive, limit it's ability to move then we keep hitting it until that _thing_ finally breaks."

The King and Queen nodded in understanding before they both rushed over to the beast and joined in the assault, leaving Ravel behind as she continued to analyze the monster facing them. She might not have strong enough magic or physical strength but she had her skills and she would use them.

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!" roared the beast as it took another fire punch to the face before Xuelan back flipped to avoid the spiked wings that came sailing towards her in retaliation.

Unfortunately for the monster it couldn't use this opening as Riser slammed into it and with the force runaway freight train, his fiery wings blinding the beast with their glow. Realizing his spells and pyrokinesis were nearly useless at this point, the member of the Phenex Clan had to resort to his inexperienced hand to hand combat skills.

Meanwhile Yubelluna was working on distracting the beast as she continued to throw her strongest spells at the monster, flying above it like a stinging wasp. The beast roared as its animalistic rage filled mind struggled to fight back against such effective combos being employed against it, only attacking whoever was closest and easily being manipulated by the group of Devils.

They still weren't able to do any decisive damage but all of them noticed the beast beginning to tire, and a hopeful feeling began to spread throughout the Devils. Sadly this proved to be their downfall as Xuelan began to get bolder with her strikes, the Rook using all her energy to try and bring the monster down with a long flurry of blows.

Xuelan was so focused on dealing damage she failed to notice the two spiked wings moving behind her, the gems glowing brightly as blades suddenly grew out of them and stabbed the Devil in numerous places around her body. The Rook just coughed up blood before she fell to the ground and was immediately teleported out by the emergency Rating Game system.

"Riser Phenex's Rook has retired! It's down to the wire here!" screamed the commentator, eagerly.

The remaining Devil's all growled as their only heavy hitter left was eliminated and the beast finally regained the offensive as more and more limbs and blades grew out of the glowing gems, the wings beginning to look like an artist's experiment gone wrong. Suddenly the all felt immense magical energy being funneled into the bow again, the crimson prana once again forming an arrow before shooting towards the Queen at unimaginable speeds. Yubelluna cried out as the projectile pierced her wing but her cry died halfway through as the beast gave another bellowing roar and the dragon head on its shoulder began gathering a bright green energy.

The beast then turned the dragon head towards the Queen before everyone saw a massive green laser burst from the snarling mouth at a phenomenal speed and engulf Yubelluna. "Riser Phenex's Queen retires!" cried the announcer, the administrators not even letting the attack finish before they transported her out.

Riser just stared at the monster in shock before it appeared in front of him and stabbed him from multiple positions at once, causing extreme pain to flood his body. The Devil was then lifted up before repeatedly being slammed into the ground as he was then tossed aside, his confused mind hearing the sound of Ravel's voice.

Looking up he saw Ravel trying to attack the monster, only to see all her spells simply cancel out as they hit their target. The beast turned its glowing green eyes to the girl before it raised its giant wings and gave them one huge flap, the wind from this knocking Ravel's lightweight back as she collapsed to ground.

The beast then started to approach the younger Phenex, only to pause as an immense bonfire erupted behind it, revealing a heavily bleeding and damaged Riser, his rapid regeneration seemingly lost with his lack of Demonic energy. The beast swiftly turned around and gave him another growl as it got onto all fours again, its wings ready to act as a shield or take flight at a moment's notice.

Everyone watched as the massive flames surrounding Riser slowly began to grow even larger as they engulfed his body, the Devil putting all of his remaining Demonic power he had left into use. "Get away from her!" he panted, seeing his last remaining peerage member with a fearful expression.

Riser then charged at the beast before him, a determined expression on his face as the mass of flames surrounding the Devil began to form a shape. The crowded watched with baited breath as they saw the flames surrounding Riser morph into a giant flaming bird, its talons outstretched to grasp the prey before it.

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!" bellowed the beast at response to this challenge before its gems began glowing again as it met the Phenex's charge.

There was an explosion of fire that engulfed the two fighters as the unstoppable forces collided together, and so the Immortal Phoenix pitted itself against the Boar and Dragon in one final desperate gamble. As the fire slowly died down everyone gasped as the saw the beast, for the first time in the fight, having been forced to its knees as it removed its wing shields to reveal the numerous wounds covering its body.

In contrast, Riser was on the ground, his body covered with wounds that were slowly closing up even as the Devil himself was struggling to maintain consciousness. Seeing the threat dealt the beast then turned back to Ravel, whom was slowly backing away in horror as the monster began to approach, only to stop as they both heard Riser attempting to stand.

"I may be a disgrace, but even I know better than to hurt a child like that, monster!" snarled Riser as he struggled to his feet, throwing a weak fireball that was canceled out as it hit before placing himself between the monster and his little sister.

The Devil closed his eyes as he saw the spiked wings coming sailing towards him, realizing that with his low power his regeneration wasn't going to be able to heal such grievous wounds. However, the Phenex was confused as the attack never came and he opened his eyes to see the spiked wing hovering just inches from his face as the Nekoshou just stared at him.

Riser met this unblinking stare with one of his own before the Devil was surprised to see the green glow from her eyes fade as the wings seemed to merge back into her body, while the two heads on both shoulders vanished as the dragon woven into her clothes returned to its starting position.

"I see, then perhaps there is some hope for you after all Devil," mused the huntress as the green returned to her clothes and the bow separated from her hand.

"So shall we finish this?" asked the Nekoshou, as she looked down at the two members of the Phenex Clan.

Riser just stared at her face, which seemed to glow in the pale moonlight and giving her a very beautiful yet dignified aura, almost like royalty. The Devil eventually snapped out of his daze once he saw the confused looks the Nekoshou was sending him and smiled as he shook his head.

"I, Riser Phenex, hereby forfeit from this Rating Game," announced the Devil, shocking the crowd into silence.

The huntress just shrugged as she dematerialized Tauropolos and turned to walk away, giving the two Phenex siblings a brief farewell as she headed for the exit. "Hey wait!" called Riser as he rushed over to her, making the Nekoshou spin to face him with a confused expression.

The member of the Phenex clan struggled to speak through the exhausted pants as he felt the energy lost with the fight began to exact it toll. "What's…what's you name?" he asked, breathlessly, struggling to maintain his balance as his sister rushed over to him.

The Nekoshou blinked before a frown of concentration appeared on her face, "I suppose when I'm in this form I should use her name," she muttered, bringing a confused expression to Riser's face.

The Nekoshou them gave him the most beautiful smile Riser had ever seen as she offered him her hand, "my name is Atalanta, descendant of the Chaste Huntress."

Riser just stared at her beautiful face in complete silence as he slowly shook her hand, a faint blush spreading across his face as he did so. The huntress just cocked her head in confusion at this strange behavior before once again turning around and walking away, her form disappearing as the Rating Game came to its end.

"Atalanta," mused Riser, as he rolled the name around his mouth and another blush crept on his face. "What a beautiful name."

* * *

Issei sighed in relief as he approached the observation room still in Atalanta's form, happy that he no longer had to keep up the façade and giving a very cat-like stretch as everyone he passed gave the human turned Nekoshou a very wide berth.

 _{Is pretending to be thy really such a problem?}_

'Your speech pattern is just really hard to copy, it's just so old fashioned…so how did I do?' he asked, curiously.

 _{Thou's aim was off by three millimeters, it was disgraceful!}_

'Caring as always Atalanta,' he sighed, still trying to get used to his new centre of gravity, not mention the sensory overlord and new limbs.

[The match would have been over much quicker if you had stuck to using just the bow, partner. Devils are extremely weak to light weapons, especially ones as powerful as that.]

'Wasn't my fault Ddriag, if _someone_ hadn't lost their temper we would have been fine,' sighed Issei.

 _{I'm not apologizing, thou saw how that man treated them.}_

'And you saw how it ended, just give people a chance Atalanta and they will often surprise you. After all aren't you the one who said people always show their true nature under hardship?' replied Issei, smugly.

 _{Thou…may have a point…I…shalt take that under advisement.}_

Issei sighed at the stubbornness of the huntress as he thought back to how Riser had been acting after the match, 'he was acting really strange, I wonder what that was about?'

[Partner, you're an idiot.]

 _{Thou art not the sharpest blade in the armory.}_

'What are you guys talking about?' asked Issei in confusion as he opened the door to the observation room.

Instantly everyone turned to face him with a mixture of wary, happy, excited or just plain fearful expressions on his face. Oddly enough the two parents of Riser were practically beaming at him, while Sirzechs and the rest of the Maou were eyeing him carefully. Everyone was silent, clearly waiting for an explanation.

[So partner, how are you going to get out of this one?]

'Same way I always do Ddraig, I'll wing it,' replied Issei, only to hear bellowing laughter from the dragon while the huntress just gave a sigh.

* * *

 **Archer Install State:**

 **STR: D**

 **CON: E**

 **AGI: A**

 **MGI: B**

 **LCK: C**

 **Magic Resistance: D**

 **Phoebus Catastrophe: B**

Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Maximum Amount of Targets: 100 People

A complaint letter on an arrow seeking the divine protection of Artemis and Apollo with the Tauropolos received from the Guardian Deity Artemis. When fired towards the sky it causes either a rain of smaller light arrows to descend upon the targets or a single powerful light arrow capable of killing most enemies with a single hit.

 **Raging Boar Serving The Heavenly Dragon: Agrius Metamorphosis: A**

Type: Anti-Unit (Self)

Maximum number of targets: 1

Chant:

 _We are the ones who laugh at the Infinite,_

 _We are the ones who grieve at the Dream,_

 _We are the ones who chose the path of ruin,_

 _We are what the world desires,_

 _We are what the world rejects,_

 _We are power,_

 _And now we are the ones who are caged in Madness,_

 _And yet there is no one there to hold our chains,_

 _For we are the Calydonian Boar_ ,

 _Now, until we sink into the Crimson Purgatory with our Master,_

 _Let us rage…once more._

The result of the fusing between the Archer Class Card and Sacred Gear Longinus Boosted Gear through the subconscious use of Heaven's Feel, this Noble Phantasm is an adaptation of Atalanta's second Noble Phantasm Agrius Metamorphosis. Like its predecessor, this Noble Phantasm increases all basic stats except luck by one and gives the equivalent of an A ranked Mad Enhancement as well as an A ranked Transformation skill. While in this state Phoebus Catastrophe is sealed, but the bow can still be used as a weapon by fusing itself to the users' body. However due to Mad Enhancement's similarity to Juggernaut Drive, once this skill is activated the user goes into a state similar to an incomplete Juggernaut Drive. Destroying their surroundings upon activation as well unleashing a portion of the Red Dragon's Ultimate Power, usually manifesting itself through beams of energy or continually growing limbs and blades.

 **Stats under Agrius Metamorphosis:**

 **STR: C**

 **CON: D**

 **AGI: A+**

 **MGI: A**

 **LCK: C**

 _#The thing about fusing the bow to her body is actually canon in Fate Apocrypha, apparently Transformation skill is similar to the T-virus…who knew?_

 **Crossing Arcadia: B**

While moving the user can jump over all obstacles, including opponents, on the field. The speed of the movement depends of the rank of the skill.

 **Aesthetics of the Last Spurt: D**

Allows enemy to take the initiative and after confirming the action the user can anticipate them, this ability allows for near perfect counters provided one can act fast enough.

 **The Golden Apple: D**

This skill draws the enemy to a desired location by displaying something treasured to the victims, be it an item, place or person.

* * *

 **Omake: 1**

 **Scathach's Strange Day…**

"So this is a guide to how females dress in this age?" muttered Scathach as she held up the fashion magazine before looking down at the Kuoh uniform she was dressed in.

"Still for education institutes, they have some very interesting forms of clothing," she commented, before walking over to the mirror.

"Hmm…yes this works, I quite like it," she smiled and striking a pose as she admired her reflection.

Suddenly the door to her room swung open and Issei walked in with a happy expression as he held a fortune-telling flyer in his hand. "Hey Scathach, I just had a great idea for us to make some money, you're…Clairvoyant…right…" the teen froze as he stared at the posing witch, the flyer falling from numb hands.

Neither of the two said a word as they just stared at each other with shocked expressions before a Scathach blinked as a slow blush appeared on her face, which was the last thing the teen saw before he felt something hit his head and blanked out.

 **Later…**

"Hmm…I haven't seen Issei all day, he's going to be late for school. Do you know where he is Scathach?" mused a worried Asia.

"He's currently on a trip to my home," replied the witch with an evil grin as she continued walking.

 **Elsewhere in the Land of Shadows…**

"What the hell just happened? How did I get here?!" exclaimed Issei as he found himself staring up at a dreadfully familiar unmoving sun.

 **[Because you forgot to knock, partner.]**

"Well I guess it could be worse…" sighed the teen as he slowly got to his feet, only to hear a low growl behind him.

The teen slowly turned and saw a giant eldritch monstrosity slowly approaching him, "G-rank luck…confirmed…" gasped the teen.

 **At Kuoh Academy…**

"I must say Scathach, you've been a great boon to this class ever since you arrived, thank you for helping out the struggling students. They learn so much faster when you're helping them, I must admit I'm a little bit jealous," admitted their teacher as the witch handed in her latest piece of homework.

"I was known as one of the best teachers from where I came from," shrugged the witch, thinking back to the numerous warriors that had come for training.

"Oh you were a tutor back home? You must be a natural then, have you thought about doing the same here? You could make a lot of money from it," informed the teacher, making Scathach's eyes widen slightly as a greedy glint appeared in them.

"People pay others for teaching them?" replied the Godslayer.

The teacher just nodded, "of course how do you think I make money? People need to go to school from early ages after all."

'The world really has changed, for it to be so dangerous that everyone needs compulsory training,' thought the witch in surprise as she looked at the rest of the students with new eyes. Silently evaluating their combat abilities, and the grade of training their teachers had given them, so far she was impressed. None of these students had given any indication that they were trained for combat before and even in light of this new information the witch couldn't figure out any of their fighting styles.

'Their teachers must have trained them very well, for even the Immortal Witch to be unable to discern their abilities,' she decided with a frown. Issei had been going to school from a young age as well hadn't he? He must have been keeping his skills hidden during their spar! He wasn't fighting seriously!

The witch snarled as she began walking back to Issei's house, leaving the teacher speechless at her sudden exit. Scathach just tried to keep a lid on her growing temper as she walked back, Issei had made a fool out of her but not this time. She would have a rematch and this time she would force him to reveal his true strength, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

 **Omake: 2 Christmas Capers…**

"Caster…what are you doing," asked Lancer with a sigh as he saw the fox girl hanging a plant from the top of her doorway.

"It's a mistletoe, Lancer. With this Goshuujin-sama, will be mine!" shouted the fox spirit, eagerly.

"Weren't you a Shinto God? Should you really be celebrating a Christian festival?" questioned Cu Chulainn with a frown.

"Don't stress the details, Lancer," replied Caster, dismissing his concerns with a cheerful wave of her hand.

The blue clad demigod just watched as she put the final touches on the plant before stepping back to admire her handiwork, "perfect now all we need is my beloved Goshuujin-sama, maybe I could even call him husband after this!"

Upon hearing this Lancer made a note to cut down the plant before the kid came back here, after all Scathach could use all the help she could get at the rate the kid was going. 'How is it he is so oblivious and yet successful? I'll have to teach him a thing or two about women at this rate,' sighed the demigod.

Suddenly they both paled as they heard a dreadfully familiar voice, "ho ho ho, Merry Chirstmas!"

The duo spun around and saw Saber dressed in a black and red dress and a sack thrown over her shoulder. **"SABER ESCAPED!"** cried Tamamo in fear as she summoned her mirror.

" **Crap where's Berserker when you need him!"** cried Lancer as Gae Bolg appeared in his hands.

" **RUN!** " yelled Caster and the two of them turned to flee, only to stop as they heard Saber speak up.

"I am not Saber! I am Rider, come to deliver you presents, I am…Santa! Now what do you wish as your present?" asked Rider, causing the two of them to slowly lower their weapons.

Eventually Tamamo cautiously approached Rider, "I want something to deal with my rivals, something that can help me win my Goshujin-sama's heart and love."

"Very well," nodded Rider as she pulled out a small box from her sack.

Lancer just shook his head in disbelief before turning to walk away, "you two have fun, I'm going fishing."

Unfortunately the demigod felt a hand close around his arm before he was lifted up by Rider, "Oi what are you doing?!"

"The rivals need to go away, and besides I have another delivery to make," answered Rider before her black sword released a burst of energy as Rider and her unwilling passenger sailed through the air.

"Hey! Let go of me!" shouted Lancer as he struggled to break her grip.

"Ho Ho HO!" laughed Rider as Tamamo watched the pair disappear into the distance.

Shrugging Caster then looked down at the box in her hands, "so what's this?"

The fox spirit opened the box and immediately a smile grew on her face, "who said you need the Grail to make wishes come true?"

 **[Oi fox, you have a very disturbing look on your face.]**

 **Later…**

Atalanta sighed as she walked into the main arena, needing to take her shift in watching over the Saber doorway when she spotted something. A little red thing that was moving alone the floor next to the huntress, instantly she found her curiosity peaked.

"What manner of bug are thou?" she asked, trying to cup it in her hands only to see it dart off to the side.

"Hey come back here!" yelled Atalanta as she chased after the red thing, only to find it escape just before she caught it every time.

The two then played a long game of cat and mouse as Atalanta continually tried to pounce on the red thing, only for it to dart away at the last second before seeming to dance in front of her. Atalanta felt her anger rising as she watched the red bug taunting her as it darted around her feet.

The huntress had a low growl form in her throat as she summoned Tauropolos and sighted down on her small red adversary, "no pray has ever escaped the Chaste Huntress before, and none shall this day!"

Far away, Tamamo was struggling to contain her laughter and keep the laser pointer steady as she watched the Chaste Huntress destroying the area with volley after volley from her bow, desperate to catch the little red 'bug.'

 **[You know if she ever finds out about this, you're dead right?]**

"Worth it," smiled Caster as she continued playing with the laser pointer before a thought occurred. "I wonder what happened to Lancer?"

 **Elsewhere…**

"I said, let me go damn it!" cried Lancer as Rider finally dropped him.

Cu Chulainn gave a grateful sigh as he looked up and instantly the sigh died in his throat as he saw the hulking form of Berserker standing over him.

"Congratulations Berserker, I have given you your pet dog back, try not to lose him again," scolded Rider as she left.

And that's the story of how Berserker reunited with his best friend Lancer…many Lancers were killed in the making of this Omake.

* * *

 **Why did I do that with Riser? Because in the LN he actually becomes a relatively descent guy after Issei kicks the crap out of him…I just sped up the process.**

 **Anyway so that was a thing…hopefully people aren't too mad about the Install form. Also the OC arc will be going ahead so make sure to tell me what your favourite F/GO Servant is.**

 **Special thanks to my two betas: Cure Rider Phoenix and coleton . harris0615, as well as everyone who offered to be a beta and who helped explain Fate/Grand Order to me.**


	10. Le Fay's Laments

**##### IMPORTANT PLEASE READ####**

 **Rider has been decided, if you want to know who it is then you can look at the poll on my profile, it should show you the results now. All that I ask is that you refer to them as Rider in the reviews so people who don't want to know don't have the surprise ruined for them. I must say it was neck and neck with all three for the first couple of days but then Rider surged ahead. For those who wanted the other two, don't despair one of them will still be in the story as a proper Servant.**

 **Question time:**

 **Kokabiel: A couple of people have asked me to do a not insane Kokabiel and honestly, I could give it a shot but I doubt it would be as good as Representation of Humanity's or A Demon Lord's Hero's one was. Still I can go either way right now, so I'll leave it up to you which you want to see, just let me know in the reviews or PM.**

 **Scáthach vs Sirzechs: So in my attempt to end the debate I apparently only made it worse…go figure. Many people asked why Scáthach didn't just use Gae Bolg's primary function (which she can do since she taught Cu Chulainn). If Sirzechs was in his normal form then yes Scáthach would have won if she used it, the problem is his true form. People who are more knowledgeable with DxD can correct me if I'm wrong but in his true form Sirzechs becomes a human shaped Power of Destruction. If that happens wouldn't he not have a heart for Gae Bolg to pierce? What would happen if you tried to use Gae Bolg on something that didn't have a heart? As for experience…yes Scáthach has more than Sirzechs but in his true form he is able to scare the crap out of Hades who is one of the ten strongest beings and the author has said that in their true forms both Sirzechs and Ajuka would rank in the top ten strongest. So he has a shit ton of power and until I can find out or decide which Gods Scáthach has killed he will be stronger than her.**

 **DestinyFriend: Alright here's another hint for Avenger, it has a connection to dragons and everyone you guessed as wrong. As for when the other cards will show up, they won't be added until Issei has unlocked Scale Mail and at least the include state on all his current cards. As for the plot point…it's a surprise, I'm a bastard aren't I? Yeah Le Fay is going to become a major plot point for Excalibur arc as you'll see in this chapter. Your idea of having Scáthach kill Gods from other mythos is a very good one and I'll likely use it later. Yeah Issei really is causing Khaos Brigade a multitude of problems, I doubt they're going to be happy about that…**

 **dsgundam00: Asia won't be getting a Class Card but for your other idea…it's possible if my story evolves like I expect it to.**

 **Josh: Solomon will be in this story.**

 **sleipnir34: Both were modifications of the Servant summoning chant and the Juggernaut Drive chant with bits I added in.**

 **FateLover: Le Fay is one of the potential harem members, currently I'm debating between her and Saber. As for the Pendragon family…you should find this chapter very enlightening. Yeah everyone explained to me that EX Rank didn't work like that.**

 **Guest: Yeah it is pretty ironic isn't it?**

 **Kyle: Sure did, I binge watched them right before I started writing that chapter. Those lines were simply too good not to use.**

 **Joking Guest: If he met Amaterasu or worse Susanoo right now, he would probably just run for the high hills. Remember for all he knows Amaterasu could have an unrestricted Mirror of Uka to use on him…**

 **cj1of4: I never watched Ranma ½ before so if that's what the series is like maybe I should watch it. As for the third theory…all I'll say is that there is a reason I chose those to be Khaos Brigade's main theories.**

 **Skoont: It's because they at first confused the Golden Apple skill with Youjutsu that Nekoshou are extremely adapt at. That combined with the majority of the Devils (meaning anyone except people like Ajuka) thinking Agrius Metamorphosis was Senjutsu and the cat features lead them to the assumption that she was a Nekoshou. Glad you like the Carnival Phantasm reference.**

 **dragonrider66: I would love to draw you a picture of Atalanta and Agrius Metamorphosis but sadly my artistic talent is limited to stick figures and I don't know anyone that is a good artist…Still if anyone else wants to draw them they are welcome to and I'd love to see them *hint hint readers.***

 **Stoiche: He will be eventually…whether or not they tell them the truth is another matter entirely though.**

 **zachary2: I have a rough outline of how I want my story to go but I only plan in detail two arcs ahead of the current one, it gives me a bit of creative freedom in case I want to change things later on. As for a final word count, I don't have one but I aim for 9000 words minimum per chapter I release. I might write them down in volumes or I'll have one large story, I haven't decided yet.**

 **Freshrice01: Yeah as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it into an omake. As for the Illya stuff, I might make it into an omake of it if I do another one.**

 **LL: Ha! A NP that raises LCK? Well luck isn't always good, so it would definitely transport him there.**

 **Suzululu4moe: Again it's possible that she does but until I know what Gods she has killed I can't be sure about that. As for modifying Gae Bolg prototypes with Runes of Light…yeah that might work. Phoebus Catastrophe should still work even if they don't support Issei since it worked after the Age of Gods ended when there was no Gods to power it, I assume that it just happens whether they like it or not and those arrows merely tell them what's going on.**

 **RedViking96: Your wish is my command.**

 **Zikarn Krais: Yeah that usually ends up being a problem, doesn't it?**

 **AsterIsk22: Yes except more powerful since she isn't limited to a single class, unlike the one in F/GO.**

 **Kinunatzs: There will be more Servants added to the story including Solomon. But that is an OC arc that will be starting after the meeting of the three factions, since by then Issei should have unlocked the include of all his current cards.**

 **general zargon: Thanks for the heads up mate.**

 **Squadpunk 2.0: Yep not peaceful at all…**

 **KisaragiKei: Lots of reading, free time and music to suite the mood.**

 **P4Nd0RaS: Yeah that was my favourite skit in Carnival Phantasm and that joke always makes me smile. As for the cards turning into Servants…you're right about Issei's magic but right now he's only been using it subconsciously so it's relatively weak. Once he starts actually using it more often, then we get into very fun stuff after all remember what is stored inside the Boosted Gear…**

 **kewllewk: Thanks for the dialogue advice I'll try to fix it in later chapters.**

* * *

"So Atalanta was it? Congratulations on the victory, it was a good fight," commented Lord Phenex as he approached Issei.

'He seems oddly happy that he son lost,' frowned the former human in suspicion.

[He could be just putting up a façade, remember partner he is a Devil.]

 _{I agree with the dragon, thou had best stay alert.}_

Issei nodded as he regained his façade, "thou's words are appreciated but not necessary. Save them for Riser, not many can hold out against Agrius Metamorphosis for that long."

The smile from the head of the Phenex family's face simply grew at this response, "it brings me great joy to hear praise like that from a fighter such as yourself, thank you. I'm sure my son would be pleased to hear it as well."

Issei just shrugged his shoulders as he tried to ignore the feeling of his new tail moving behind him, "the thanks are not needed. It is simply the truth Lord Phenex, if I did not think your son deserving of such praise then I would not have said it."

The members of the Phenex family present just blinked in surprise before Lady Phenex starting laughing softly, "you are brutally honest, aren't you?"

Lord Phenex then gave the human turned Nekoshou a deep bow, shocking everyone in the room into silence as they stared at the two of them. "Thank you for teaching my son some form of humility, you've taught him a valuable lesson that might one day save his life," said the grateful father.

 _{That Devil would put many performers to shame, for being able to pull off such a convincing act.}_

The teen watched the face of the Phenex member closely and for a brief moment he saw his own father's grateful face superimposed over the Devil's. 'I guess humans and Devils aren't that different after all,' he thought in amusement.

 _{Don't be swayed boy, I doubt that the Devil is sincere. Especially considering how much of a disgrace his son is.}_

'Atalanta I know you've had bad experiences with your father but not all of them are like that, believe me this is no act,' replied Issei with a smile as Lord Phenex lifted his head.

 _{Very well, if thou truly believes that then I shalt hold my tongue.}_

[Partner, you're trusting nature is going to get you killed someday.]

'That's why you're here Ddraig, I doubt many would be able to take on the Welsh Dragon,' smirked Issei as he offered another smile to the Phenex member in front of him.

[True, but just be careful partner. Thinking like that will only cause more problems down the line, especially when we meet the White One.]

The teen frowned at this but before he could question the dragon, the human turned Nekoshou was brought back to the present as he heard Lord Phenex start speaking again. "To think that a Nekoshou would be the one to beat my son, hah I never would have believed it," he laughed, making Issei blink in confusion.

[Interesting so they think you're a Nekoshou. This is good, we can use this to our advantage.]

'Ddraig what's a Nekoshou?' he asked, in confusion.

[A race of Youkai native to Japan, they're known for have cat like features such as ears and two tails.]

'Two tails huh? That's going to be a problem, unless you're able grow a second one Atalanta?' asked Issei.

 _{Perish the thought boy. I can hardly tolerate having one!}_

[Don't worry partner, Nekoshou don't grow their second tail until they've matured. We'll just say you're relatively young. Unless you ever meet another Nekoshou in this form, then the secret should be safe. And if what those Devils said was true then there are none left anyway to dispute our claim, I doubt even with your luck that we'd encounter a sole survivor from that massacre.]

A frown slowly reappeared on his face as Scáthach and the others approached him, 'Ddraig how do you know about all this?'

[I've had many wielders in my time partner, you'd be surprised with the amount of things I've seen since being locked up in the Sacred Gear.]

"Atalanta, you are aware of the conditions that were made on this Rating Game?" asked Sirzechs, drawing everyone's attention.

"I am," nodded Issei.

"Then what would you demand? I can assure you that if it is in my power I will see it done," stated Lord Phenex with a curious expression.

"The marriage contract between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex, I want it to be destroyed," replied the former human.

The members of the Phenex Clan had shocked expressions on their faces before they all gained an amused smile, "consider it done. Somehow I don't think my son will complain about that after this, however if it's not too much to ask might we have a way to contact you after this?" requested the Head of the Phenex Clan.

Issei thought it over for a couple of seconds before he shrugged, not seeing any problems with the information. "Very well, if thou desires to contact me then send the messages to Issei's house," he replied.

 _{Oh no…}_

[Don't tell him Atalanta, he dug this grave himself and now he will have to get himself out of it. It's the only way he's going to learn.]

 _{Throwing the chicks out of the nest to teach them to fly? Very well, but if he ruins my reputation there will be consequences.}_

'What? What did I do?' asked Issei, frantically, only to get no response from either of them.

"Not that I'm ungrateful for the help Atalanta, but why did you chose to help my sister? As far as I know the two of you have never met," interrogated Sirzechs, as Scáthach subtly pushed Issei behind her.

Frowning at the witch's strange behavior Issei shrugged, "I overheard Issei speaking of this event and thus decided to honor my ancestor by intervening on my friend's behalf."

Lord Phenex had a frown form on his face, "you are close to Cu Chulainn's descendant?"

"In a manner of speaking," replied the former human as a knowing smirk appeared on his female face. "Along with Scáthach, I was put in charge of training him. He truly impressed me with his abilities."

 _{Lies.}_

[Modesty is a virtue partner.]

"I see, but I'm afraid I must ask. That power you used, Agrius Metamorphosis. What is it? And how did you obtain it?" questioned the Maou, making Scathach's body tense as he approached them.

'I got nothing, what about you guys?' asked Issei, his mind drawing up blanks for a likely excuse.

 _{The truth is out of the question, the Calydonian Boar's power would explain the dragon's influence over that form.}_

[Hmm…they think you're a Nekoshou. Don't worry partner I've got an idea.]

"It was a unique form of Senjutsu that I developed over the years, I don't use it often since it's quite easy to lose thou's mind to its influence," lied Issei, feeling very smug until he heard Ajuka speak up.

"You're lying," accused Beelzebub as he walked up to Issei. "I studied many things in my lifetime including the use of Senjutsu, it was one of the reasons I was chosen to deal with the Nekoshou's. That power was nothing like one of your kind losing itself to Senjutsu."

[Sorry partner, it looks like my plan backfired on us.]

'Don't worry Ddraig, besides I think it's time we gave that old troll a taste of his own medicine,' replied Issei with a smirk.

"That a good point and thou is right but I'm afraid I can't explain it very well. However, our faction's lead researcher and inventor of that power is currently here to explain it for us. Right Zelretch?" asked Issei, an evil cat like grin spreading across his female face as everyone turned to the magician.

'Ha! Let's see how he likes being thrown under a bus for a change!' cheered Issei, relishing in the brief bit of surprise that appeared on Zelretch's face.

Zelretch just had his eyes widen as he stared at the smirking Issei before an approving smile spread across his face, instantly making Issei regret his decision. "Of course Atalanta, unfortunately I can't go into much detail as it is understandably classified," said the magician, making Issei's worry grow tenfold as he saw Zelretch's smile widen.

"Thou hast a point, it was foolish of I to even suggest it. Let us just move on to the next topic, shall we?" begged Issei as he saw the magician turn to him with a fake look of hurt on his face.

"But Atalanta, after that kind praise you gave me I can't just say nothing. Rest assured I'm sure our leader will be fine with it," smirked Zelretch.

"No, I really don't think they would," hissed Issei, only for Zelretch to give him a dismissive wave of his hand as he approached the spectating Devils.

[You brought this on yourself partner.]

'Shut up Ddraig!' he snarled, as he started backing away to the door, Scáthach and Asia sharing a quick glance before following his example.

Unfortunately, it seemed the magician had other ideas as he waved at them and everyone turned back to face the trio, "come now Atalanta, I know this kind of stuff bores you but you shouldn't leave. After all, this is your power we're talking about. Now come on up, you're the star of the show remember?"

Issei tried to keep a smile on his face as everyone stared at the three of them, his temper struggling to be contained as Zelretch gestured for him to stand next to the magician. 'I'm going to kill him,' decided Issei as he was once again placed in full view of the observing Devils, Scáthach and Asia shooting him pitying looks.

"Now in order to explain what Agrius Metamorphosis is, you first need to know about our leader," started Zelretch, drawing confused looks from everyone.

"Your leader? Who are they? And what does that have to do with this 'Agrius Metamorphosis'?" asked Sirzechs, breaking the silence.

Zelretch just smiled, "as Ajuka over there just said. Agrius Metamorphosis didn't feel like Senjutsu and that's because it's not…or at least not completely."

"What do you mean?" asked Ajuka, storing this information away for later use.

"Agrius Metamorphosis is the result of Senjutsu mixing with a fraction of our leader's power. You see each member of our faction is granted a piece of this power upon joining, improving our own abilities," replied the magician.

Scáthach and Issei tried to keep the surprise off their faces but sadly Asia gave a low gasp that all the Devil's quickly caught onto. "Scáthach, maybe thou had best take Asia back home, I'm sure Issei is wanting some company," suggested Issei.

"You sure Atalanta?" asked Scáthach, playing along as her eyes sent unspoken messages to his own.

Issei nodded, "I'm sure, the troll and I can handle it from here."

The witch was silent for a few minutes as she stared at Issei before finally nodding her head and dragging Asia away from the observation room, there was silence as everyone watched the two leave before turning back to Issei and Zelretch.

"So where was I?" asked the magician, cheerfully.

"Thou was just saying farewell to the Devils," lied Issei with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh Atalanta, you're such a joker," laughed Zelretch, making Issei's long gone eye twitch return with a vengeance.

"Die in a fire," he snarled, the Devils just watching their interactions in confusion.

Zelretch sent him a hurtful look, "Atalanta I am shocked and appalled that you think so low of me, now behave yourself unless you want to be put into a maid costume."

 _{I never expected to find one of his kind that I would hate more than Vlad.}_

'I wonder if he would die if we threw him off the platform's edge? Nah that'd never work, he'd just teleport away. Fucking Kaleidoscope, stupid hack like ability, why can't it be debuffed already? You hear me God, hurry up and balance it!' raged Issei, as he continued trying to think of creative ways to kill his companion.

[Partner, God's dead remember?]

'Shit, you're right,' growled Issei.

 _{We could always try to poison that vampire. Or throw him into Tartarus.}_

Issei just nodded before his eyes widened, 'yeah that's an op- wait he's a Vampire?!'

 _{You didn't know? How did you not know!? His scent is completely different from a human's!}_

'Oh, you're right it is,' realized Issei as he took note of Zelretch's odd scent, only to flinch as Atalanta's voice raged across his mind.

 _{Thou hast had my enhanced senses for hours and yet only notices that now! There is a limit to how careless thou can be, boy!}_

'Hey in my defense, I don't exactly go around smelling people often,' argued Issei, only for his inner debate to come to an end as he heard Zelretch speak up again.

"Now as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" started the magician, ignoring the death glare being burned into the back of his head by Issei.

"Bite me," muttered Issei, planning on how to get his hands on some Holy Water and making a special note to never invite Zelretch into his house.

The magician just continued on as if the interruption hadn't happened, "I'm sure you all noticed the similarities between Agrius Metamorphosis and another power, didn't you Ajuka?"

The Devil nodded with a frown, "it felt like Juggernaut Drive…only far darker, I've never felt a curse like that."

Zelretch nodded, "yes Mad Enhancement is much more potent than Juggernaut Drive in terms of insanity and yet at the same time much easier to control. Now I'm sure you can guess after what I've said, why they are so similar?"

Ajuka's eyes widened, "you mean that your leader is…"

The magician nodded as he was about to reply before Issei quickly covered Zelretch's mouth with his hand. "Just what the hell are you doing? You damned troll," hissed the teen turned Nekoshou.

Unfortunately, Zelretch just winked at him before snapping his fingers and Issei instantly found himself upside down in the air before he was sent crashing back to the earth. "Bad kitty, you know better than to interfere with my entertainment," smirked the magician, watching as Issei picked himself up from the ground with green glowing eyes.

 _{If I ever get out of here, I'm killing him.}_

[Get in line.]

Issei took a deep breath as he tried to calm his rising temper as well as the tempers of Ddraig and Atalanta, his eyes losing their green glow as the three of them finally calmed down. "And that concludes my explanation of Agrius Metamorphosis, I hope you found it very informative but alas we must depart. After all the Sekiryuutei is waiting for us," announced the magician and there was simply silence from the Devils as Zelretch teleported the two of them away.

That was the day that Issei learnt that you never try to beat Zelretch at his own game…he would make you regret it.

* * *

Amaterasu sighed as she left the debating Greeks and prepared to head back to her home, having seen all of the fight with the Greeks. While it might have been beneficial for her to stay and talk with them about what they'd just seen, she knew that it would not be welcomed by the Greeks. Hades had made that abundantly clear.

"Amaterasu! Wait!" called a familiar male voice as the Shinto Goddess turned to see Apollo and Artemis rushing over to her.

The Shinto Goddess just frowned, "Apollo, Artemis, is there something wrong?"

The twins shared a quick glance before Artemis spoke up, "we wanted to know if you're going to investigate this new faction."

"Of course, it would be foolish not to," replied Amaterasu in confusion, getting smiles from the two twins.

"Would you let us assist you in your investigation?" asked Apollo with a hopeful expression.

The Shinto Goddess just frowned, "I thought Zeus forbade you from investigating?"

Both the twins had small smirks form on their faces, "technically father said not to interfere with Hades' investigation. But he never said we couldn't forge stronger ties to the Shinto faction," grinned Apollo.

Artemis then took over, "and what better way to do so then to assist you with your investigation?"

Amaterasu sighed in exasperation as she shook her head at the younger Gods, "you two both know that your father will not be pleased if I did that."

"He doesn't need to know, and besides don't you want to get an answer to this mystery to?" argued Apollo, getting a nod of agreement from his sister.

The Shinto Goddess was silent as she evaluated the pros and cons of each choice, 'I could use some help now that I have Tsukuyomi limiting my investigation. Plus it would be good to have someone visit the mortal world and investigate it personally instead of relying on my followers to do it for me.'

"Very well, I suppose I could use some help, but you realize that the chances of meeting the imposter of your champion is slim?" pointed out Amaterasu.

The two Greeks nodded grimly as Apollo replied, "We know but at least this will help set us on the right path to find her."

"So where do we start?" asked Artemis, eagerly.

"The descendant of Cu Chulainn, everything started with him. I want to question him but Tsukuyomi refuses to let me do so as long as he is in the Devil's territory," informed Amaterasu.

"We can get him," assured Apollo, only for the Shinto Goddess to frown at him.

"Don't be so eager Apollo, that boy is under the Godslayer's protection and I don't want to have to explain to Zeus how two of his children were killed," scolded the Shinto Goddess.

"Then we'll take her out first, after all she can't beat the both of us if we work together," argued Artemis, a bow forming in her hand as her brother nodded.

"Did you not hear what I said?" sighed Amaterasu. "There is a reason she is called the Godslayer, Artemis. You must not underestimate Scáthach under any circumstances."

"We will be careful Amaterasu, trust me. No one knows better than us Greeks that Gods are not invincible," reassured Apollo.

The Shinto Goddess frowned before she shook her head again, "if you two are so set on this course of action then very well. I shall keep my brothers distracted from your activities, just promise me one thing."

"And what's that?" asked Artemis.

Amaterasu sent them a worried look, "if the Godslayer proves to be too tough a challenge…then promise me you will run. We can always restart this investigation afterwards but we cannot replace your lives. Do you understand?"

The two twins glanced at each other before nodding, "don't worry Amaterasu, we're not suicidal," stated Artemis.

"Besides the previous times she had been hunting us Gods. It's time for Scáthach to find out what happens when she's the one being hunted instead," grinned Apollo as canine teeth briefly appeared in his mouth.

* * *

Le Fay looked down at the city registry in front of her, trying to find everything she could on the Hyoudou family, when she heard a sound behind her. Quickly closing the book she spun around to see her brother emerging from a portal as he walked over to her, the portal closing behind him. Arthur frowned as he handed the two books he was holding over to her and took note of the already closed book on the desk.

"Le Fay is there something wrong? You've been acting odd for a couple of days now," he asked, in concern for his sister.

"Don't worry brother I'm fine, just trying to find out who the descendant of Cu Chulainn is, there can't be many families here with a teen named Issei after all," lied Le Fay as she grabbed the books from him.

Arthur's frown only deepened, "while I appreciate you helping out Le Fay, you've been in here for days, in fact you only come out for food and to ask me to collect books for you. Don't you think it's time you have a break?"

"Don't worry I'm nearly done with my research, thanks for collecting me some more reading material," replied Le Fay with a smile.

"The original, unedited copy of the Pendragon family tree, as well as the complete history of Morgan and Mordred. Not exactly your usual reading material, Le Fay. Why did you want me to steal this from the manor?" asked Arthur, raising his eyebrows in expectation.

Le Fay just laughed, "I decided to learn a bit more about my ancestor, I'm a bit curious about her and you know that I can't exactly stroll in and take it."

"I see," mused Arthur before he gave her another concerned look. "Just promise me that if something's bothering you, you'll tell me. I'm your brother after all."

She gave him a smile and nodded, "I promise."

Arthur gained a relieved expression before he exited the room, leaving Le Fay to sit there in silence, "sorry brother…but I can't get you involved this time."

Le Fay then opened the book on Mordred and Morgan and skipped to the section on the Knight of Treachery. She was then greeted to the sight of a scarily familiar helm on the opening chapter and her heart starting beating faster. Le Fay felt her throat go dry as she thought back to when had first seen pictures of Mordred, the mural of the Battle of Camlann painted in all its horrifying glory.

The mountain of corpses the two Pendragon members fought on, the blood soaked burning fields, the smoke filled sky, but the thing that had burned itself into her mind back then…was the helm of the treacherous knight. She thought that she had made a mistake before with Issei but this book proved it that was definitely the helm of the traitor knight she had seen.

"The Helm of Infidelity, given to the Knight of Treachery by its mother Morgan Le Fay," she read in a soft voice.

How was this possible? Wasn't he supposed to be Cu Chulainn's descendant? How could he have that…unless he was both? After all, he had to have two parents didn't he? Who's to say he wasn't a descendant of both? The chances were slim but not impossible, and thankfully she had all the tools she needed to find out.

Continuing to flip through the book she growled as it made no mention of Mordred siring any heirs, in fact the entire book didn't even have much information on the Knight's personal life. Growling in frustration Le Fay threw the book across the room before taking out the original family tree, tracing it all the way back to the King of Knights himself.

However, she was surprised when she followed the link to Mordred and found that after the Knight of Treachery, there was simply a couple of words written on the next page. 'Family trees uncertain, evidence of heirs neither confirmed nor denied.'

"So it's possible that he had an heir? But I need to be sure, it's too big of a risk otherwise," she decided before closing the book and reopening the city registry to reveal the Hyoudou family record.

The descendant spent the next few hours tracking the family line back as far as she could and compared it to the Pendragon family record, only to growl in frustration as she threw both the records away. Nothing! Absolutely nothing to link him towards the Pendragon family!

"I know what I saw though…that was definitely Mordred's helm, it had to be!" she muttered, before her eyes widened. "Of course, why didn't I realize it before?!"

After all no rogue branches from the Pendragon family, let alone one sired by the Knight of Treachery themselves, would use their real family history! The registry must be faked! After all, not only had there been no mention of anything related to the Pendragon family but also no mention of anything related to the Celts, despite Issei being acknowledged by the Sun God as his son's descendant.

"There's only one way to be sure," muttered Le Fay as she returned her attention to the history of Mordred, memorizing anything that seemed remotely helpful for her investigation.

* * *

Vali was silent as he approached Bikou and Kuroka with an expression of deep thought on his face, drawing the attention of his two companions as they exchanged glances with each other. "Vali? What's wrong?" asked Bikou, after breaking the staring contest with Kuroka.

The Hakuryuukou was silent before he sighed and turned to face them, "did either of you watch Riser Phenex's latest Rating Game?"

The two of them merely shook their heads in response as Vali continued, "Azazel invited me to watch since rumors said that a member of the newly opened up Celts was going to be fighting him."

"Cu Chulainn's descendant?" guessed Bikou, remembering how the descendant had been forming close ties to the Gremory and Sitri heiresses.

Vali just frowned, "that's what I thought as well…but we were mistaken. The one he fought was none other than the descendant of Atalanta."

"The Chaste Huntress? But I thought the Celts were fighting? Why was a champion of Artemis representing the Celt? Are they forming an alliance?" asked Bikou, meanwhile Kuroka shrugged as she continued drinking her sake.

The Hakuryuukou just shook his head, "no, apparently it wasn't even the Celtic faction that was fighting. There's been a new faction created and somehow they have the Godslayer, the descendant of Cu Chulainn, the Heretic Witch wielding Twilight Healing and a so called descendant of Atalanta on their side."

Bikou and Kuroka exchanged another confused look between them as the Nekoshou replied, "Vali what do you mean, 'so called' descendant?"

"I mean that it doesn't add up. Every story, everything ever written about the Chaste Huntress indicates she was a human and not a Nekoshou," replied Vali, making Kuroka spit out her sake in shock and drench Bikou in the alcohol.

"WHAT?! A NEKOSHOU?!" she cried, spinning to face Vali.

The Hakuryuukou nodded, "that's what they said. But, that's not the most troubling thing about this. It was her power known as Agrius Metamorphosis."

Seeing that he now had both their undivided attention he turned to their resident Senjutsu expert Kuroka with a frown, "they said it was a result of Senjutsu fusing with the power of their leader, the result of which reduced her to an incredibly powerful yet berserker like state, is that possible?"

Kuroka frowned as an uncharacteristic expression of deep thought appeared on her face before she slowly nodded, "it is _possible_ but _unlikely_. Senjutsu is the channeling of life force so it could _theoretically_ be able to absorb and adapt to this 'power'. But to reach the state you're talking about…it would require a massive amount of energy and negative emotions. I doubt that there is that much of either residing in this 'power' she was given, let alone the damage it would have on her psyche."

"What about Juggernaut Drive? Would that work as a power source?" asked Vali, as both Kuroka and Bikou just had their jaws drop.

"Vali…what are you saying? Wasn't the Boosted Gear wielder…" trailed off Bikou.

"The descendant of Cu Chulainn? Yes, I know but apparently she was given a portion of the Welsh Dragon's power from their leader," informed Vali, getting a deep silence in response as understanding dawned in the eyes of his companions.

"Vali, what you're suggesting…it's just not possible," replied Bikou.

"No Bikou, I talked it over with Albion and we both agreed that this power was far too similar to that of our rival," replied the Hakuryuukou as white wings sprouted from his back.

 **[Indeed the resemblance to the Red One's power was uncanny, in fact it felt like an even darker madness than Juggernaut Drive.]**

"Could it be similar to Ophis' snakes?" questioned Kuroka, her bottle of sake now being completely ignored as she stared at Vali whom nodded his head.

"That's what we thought but that brings up another question. Was the descendant of Cu Chulainn really the wielder of Boosted Gear? Either he simply got the power like Atalanta did…or he is the leader of a powerful new faction," he muttered in a worried voice.

Bikou just frowned, "maybe we should call Arthur and Le Fay back? The situation has changed and if Issei really is the leader of this new faction then the two of them may be in over their heads."

Vali shook his head with a sigh, "I would love to Bikou…but they were instructed not to contact us for anything to lower Kokabiel's suspicions and every attempt I've made to try and contact them has been stopped by other members of Khaos Brigade."

Kuroka just frowned, "why? Weren't they against this whole idea in the first place?"

"They want to know more about this new faction, after all it seemed to have formed out of nowhere and has been drawing unwanted attention to us. It's entirely possible that they know about us and are trying to hinder our progress," replied Vali.

"And the only known members are all found in Kuoh, Vali this plan has backfired on us horribly," sighed Bikou.

"I know Bikou, but there's nothing we can do until Kokabiel reveals himself," answered the Hakuryuukou.

There was a deep silence from everyone until Bikou sighed and poured himself another drink, "so both the Red and White Dragon Emperors' factions have a Nekoshou in it. Is anyone else spotting a pattern forming here?"

Kuroka gained a small smile as she tried to lighten the depressed mood, "come now Bikou, we have a descendant from the Pendragon family itself, let's see them try to top that."

That got a brief smirk from Bikou but unfortunately the worried atmosphere refused to dissipate as each of them thought back to their two comrades. For some reason none of them could escape the cold sense of foreboding that had surrounded them, even Kuroka had lost her cheerful smile as she stared off into the distance.

"I'm going to keep trying to contact them, there's a chance one of my messages might get through," said Vali as he walked off, leaving the two drinkers to stare at their glasses in silence.

* * *

It had been three days since the Riser fiasco and he had just realized how big of a mistake he had made, and he wasn't talking about the 'mysterious Sekiryuutei' that was apparently their leader. No, he was talking about something infinitely worse, the little letter that had been left on the doorway for him when he woke up.

Not that unusual except for when you consider who it was addressed to, Issei had been greatly surprised when he'd seen 'my lovely Atalanta' written on the front. The teen had frowned, wondering who could have wanted to write to Atalanta and what about. His curiosity getting the better of him the teen took the letter back in and opened it up.

He really should have remembered what curiosity killed…

Scáthach shuffled in, exhausted after another long night of trying to kill Zelretch for what he said to the Devils, only to find Issei with his head buried into the kitchen desk. "Zelretch?" asked Issei, tiredly as the Godslayer joined him at the table.

The witch nodded with a growl, "I will kill him, I swear it. After what he did, now the Devils are looking for our 'mysterious Sekiryuutei.'"

"Just give up Scathach, if that damned troll was able to be killed then he would have died a long time ago," sighed the teen.

Issei then looked up from the table as a curious expression appeared on his face, "you know I never did ask, what was with you and Sirzechs? I've never seen you act like that before."

Scathach just fixed him with an unblinking stare, "Issei stay away from that Devil, he is incredibly dangerous."

"Sirzechs? But he seems like such a nice guy, he clearly cares for his sister," replied the frowning teen.

"Everyone wears a mask, Devils are no exception to this. If you want to find out someone's true nature then look at the mask they wear. It is always the opposite of what they are trying to hide, whether they know it or not," answered the Godslayer, causing Issei to fall into a stunned silence.

Just what was hiding beneath Sirzech's cheerful smile that could cause someone like Scathach to be wary. 'No not wary, she's afraid,' he realized in shock as he stared at the stern expression on his companion's face.

"Alright Scathach I'll be careful," assured the teen, bringing a relieved smile to the witch's face.

Issei then looked down at his clenched fist and sighed, "I suppose that's another problem to add to the growing list."

The Godslayer then noticed the small letter that was clutched in his hand, and instantly a spike of anger rushed through her body as she stood up and quickly grabbed it from him. 'Who was it? The nun? She's far more bold then I gave her credit for if that's the case,' thought the witch as she kept the letter out of the teen's increasingly frantic struggles, only for her to blink as an amused smile across her face as she read it.

"Well, it looks like someone has an admirer," she stated, through barely contained laughter.

"He probably just wants to be friendly," argued Issei, weakly.

Scáthach just shot him another amused glance before she read a verse from the love poem,

"If I could have just one wish,  
I would wish to wake up every day  
to the sound of your breath on my neck,  
the warmth of your lips on my cheek,  
the touch of your fingers on my skin,  
and the feel of your heart beating with mine...  
Knowing that I could never find that feeling  
with anyone other than you.

Sincerely, Riser Phenex."

"Yep he wants to be friendly alright, tell him to send a ring next time. I could use some more for my collection," laughed Scáthach as she held up the jeweled moon bracelet that had come with the letter.

The witch just looked up and shook her head, "and to think I was worried for a second there."

"Worried? About what?" asked Issei, as Asia walked into the room with freshly cooked eggs and bacon.

"Issei, I brought you breakfast," she announced, before placing the food in front of him.

Issei smiled up at her, "you remembered my favourite way to cook eggs, thank you Asia. I'm sure you will make a great wife."

The nun just gained an embarrassed blush as a bright smile appeared on her face, "thank you Issei."

'For a nun she's far craftier than I gave her credit for, I'll have to start taking her seriously,' realized Scáthach as she watched the couple eat together. Not realizing that a certain fox spirit was thinking the exact same thing as Issei suddenly gripped his head in pain.

"Another headache," groaned the teen in pain, only to see a bright green glow as the pain disappeared.

"Don't worry Issei, there is everything better now?" asked Asia as Twilight Healing's glow disappeared.

The teen smiled at her, "much better Asia, thank you."

"Of course Issei, I'm happy to help," replied the nun, happily.

Scáthach felt another brief spike of anger before she suppressed it and sat back down at the table with them, snapping the two out of their daze as he turned to face her. "Scáthach, I know this is short notice but I need a favour. The school's holding a festival before the parent's day in a couple of days' time and I was wondering if you could help the ORC with our stall," informed Issei.

"Why not just asked Asia to help you? The two of you are clearly close enough," scoffed Scáthach as the witch crossed her arms over her chest.

The witch immediately had a faint blush appear on her cheeks as Issei grasped her hands with his own and looked her in the eye, "Scáthach, this is something that only you can do…no one else. I promise you'll be rewarded afterwards."

"R-rewarded?" gasped the witch as numerous dirty thoughts ran through her head and she turned away from the teen. "Well if you need my help that badly then fine, I'll lend you my assistance."

* * *

Le Fay cautiously approached the fair grounds of Kuoh Academy, taking note of all the stalls the students had set up as she searched for the boy she had met earlier. 'I need to know for sure, if he really is who I think he is, I can't let him and Arthur meet,' she thought with worry.

The descendant searched for what seemed like an eternity before she heard a familiar male voice calling out, "come and have your future told by ORC's one and only witch! We promise her predictions are 100% accurate!"

Le Fay spun around and saw Issei standing outside a purple tent with an eager smile on his face while one of the Devils continued handing out flyers to the other students. The descendant frowned as she slowly snuck over to them, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I'm surprised you got her to agree to this Issei-kun," stated the Devil in amusement.

"She's pretty easy to convince if you know how Kiba, I just told her that half the money the club makes will go to her. Although she did seem slightly disappointed once I told her about her reward, I wonder why?" replied Issei.

"Buchou, won't happy about that," remarked Kiba with a frown.

Issei just shrugged, "if you want to tell her that she can't keep the money then by all means go right ahead, I'm not responsible for what happens next though."

Kiba glanced at the purple tent before he shuddered, "I'm sure Buchou will understand."

"Smart choice," laughed the teen as he turned away, and to Le Fay's horror began heading over to her hiding spot.

The descendant quickly searched for a new place to hide but only found the entrance to the purple tent within a close enough distance. Not giving it a second thought the blonde girl rushed into the tent and breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Issei walk past her, before immediately feeling a pair of eyes staring at her and looked up to see a girl with red eyes and purple hair grinning at her.

"Interesting, you're no usual customer," smirked the purple haired girl.

Le Fay just frowned, "what do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't matter. So child would you like to have your fortune told?" asked the purple girl with a curious expression.

"Hey I'm no child! And you're not much older than me anyway!" cried the blonde witch as she sat down on the chair opposite to her companion.

The girl laughed at Le Fay's outburst, "oh if only you knew child."

The descendant just growled, "Fine! If you're so good at seeing the future than let's put it to the test! How much?!"

"This one will be free of charge," replied her smirking companion.

Le Fay blinked in surprise, "why?"

"Let's just say you've gained my curiosity, _mage_ ," answered the purple girl, making Le Fay's eyes widen in surprise.

'Is this just part of her script…or does she know?' thought the descendant with a hint of worry as the purple girl gestured for her to place her hands on the table. Frowning, Le Fay did as she was instructed and the purple girl seemed to flinch as a strange atmosphere descended on the two of them.

"A sword of brilliant light, now a pale shadow of what it once was, split into seven fragments, only to be remade with tainted hands. Once used by the King of Knights to keep the peace, now twisted into weapon of war, it still remembers its hated foe," started the purple girl and Le Fay felt her heart beginning to kick into overdrive.

"A sword stolen from its cradle, once a symbol of hope and peace, forever tainted by the hatred of its wielder, its holy light now a demonic glow. It rejects its wielder and so is rejected by her, creating a never ending cycle of hatred, just waiting to be pointed at its foe," she continued, and the descendant found herself captivated by the speech.

"Should the wayward 'son' awaken, should she give in to rage and depression, should these swords clash once again, then history will repeat itself," spoke the older girl sadly, as she closed her eyes.

"But…should she pass the test, should the demonic sword regain its purpose and nobility, should the Knight of Treachery remake her legend, should she join the Emperor's ranks. Then the Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword of the Dragon Throne will face the Sword of Promised Victory on equal grounds. And so the demonic sword of peace and the holy sword of war will clash, and a fate once set in stone will be broken," she concluded, opening her eyes and placing a hand on Le Fay's shoulder.

"I see…pain, sadness and rage in your future, child. Beware, for if you and your wayward 'son' do not make peace with each other, with the mistakes your pasts…they will soon became your futures," warned the purple haired girl, staring off in to the distance behind Le Fay with sad eyes.

The blonde girl just snarled as she slapped the 'fortuneteller's' hand off her shoulder, "you know nothing about me charlatan and don't pretend to! I will never accept them! All those people they killed…simply because their 'loving mother' told them to. They are a disgrace to the name Pendragon…just like I am."

"Do you truly believe that child?" asked the 'charlatan.'

"Shut up," hissed Le Fay as she stood up from her chair, ready to walk out, only to freeze at her companion's the next words.

"Your sins won't go away simply because you wish for it Morgan Le Fay, do you really think that by protecting _your brother_ you will gain some form of redemption?" growled the purple haired girl as she stood up from her chair.

"That's not my name! I'm not her!" screamed the descendant in rage.

The purple girl just sighed, "maybe so, but take great care child. This prediction is not a punishment to you, but a warning of what's to come…and you would do well to heed it."

"W-who are you?" stuttered Le Fay, fearful at how much this supposed charlatan knew before her mind pieced together her features.

'Red eyes, purple hair…it can't be her can it? The Immortal Witch?' she thought, fearfully.

The purple haired girl frowned as she continued, "you cannot run away from your mistakes much longer, they _will_ find you. But, you already knew that didn't you?"

The blonde witch then gave another depressed sigh, "I'm through with the past. Mordred…can go rot for all I care."

With her piece said Le Fay walked out, only to stop at the door as she heard the purple girl speak up for one last time. "Be careful child, just because you are through with the past does not mean the past is through with you. I don't need Clairvoyance to tell you that if you refuse to accept and learn from your past mistakes, then you will be doomed to repeat them…and your brother will pay for it."

Le Fay said nothing as she walked out, leaving Scáthach to sigh tiredly as she rubbed her head and pondered on the vision she had received. Out of the few things she could glean from her Clairvoyance one thing stuck out in particular, why did the masked knight feel so familiar?

"Looks like Kuoh is about to become quite the battlefield," she frowned, trying to put the bad feeling she had been getting away.

"Hey Scáthach, are you okay?" asked Issei, as the teen walked into the tent they'd set up and saw the worried witch.

Scáthach shook her head, "don't worry Issei, it's just an unusual customer."

* * *

"Kokabiel is aware that even with the blade you're reforging for me, the chances of myself being able to defeat the Godslayer is slim, is he not? What will he do if she decides to interfere?" asked Arthur, curiously.

"Rest assured milord, the Celts will not be a problem," answered Valper Galilei with a bow.

Arthur tried to keep the disdain he felt for the man off his face as he replied, "how so? I doubt they will just sit idly by, the descendant has his home here after all."

The disgraced bishop simply smiled at him, "milord, have you forgotten what time of the year it is?"

Arthur briefly gained a confused expression before his eyes widened and he sighed, "You're waiting until the _Samhain feis_ , aren't you? Isn't that a long time to wait? And how are you so sure that they will participate in it?"

"The boy is a recently rediscovered descendant of Lugh's son, there is no chance the other Celtic deities won't use this as an opportunity to meet him, and where he goes the witch will follow him," replied a familiar male voice.

"That still only leaves us one day complete the operation, no small task, especially since we will need to reveal ourselves to the Devils. It would be relatively easy for them to buy enough time until the Celts get back," argued Arthur, not bother to look behind him as he examined the six swords on the table.

"The Gremory heiress and her pets are nowhere near the threat her brother is, I'll deal with them. You focus on the exorcists, but even if the Celts do come back it will be too late to stop us," replied the Fallen Angel.

Arthur turned and saw Kokabiel walking out of the shadows and frowned as he considered the Fallen Angel's reasoning, 'he has a point, I'll only have one day to find and fight the descendant. Vali won't be happy with this, I don't think I'll get to fight the descendant.'

Kokabiel then glanced at the six swords spread out on the table before them, "it would seem we are a sword short."

Arthur just frowned, "Mimic is proving harder to obtain then I previously thought. It was given to an exorcist for a mission just before I broke in, afterwards they moved it to an unknown location."

The Fallen Angel shrugged, "it doesn't matter, six fragments will be more than enough. Besides those fools in the Church will simply send Mimic over to try and reclaim their precious Excalibur's."

"I see," murmured Arthur as Kokabiel started heading towards the door.

"I am needed at the Grigori, I leave Mimic's retrieval to you human," informed the Fallen Angel as he left the two humans to their own devices.

"Milord, where is Lady Le Fay?" asked Valper, getting another sigh from the descendant.

"My sister is currently exploring the city, don't worry she knows to be careful of the Devils," replied Arthur.

Before any of them could respond, they felt a familiar presence cross their hideout's Boundary Field and turned to the door as it opened to reveal a deeply troubled looking Le Fay. Arthur frowned as he approached his sister and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, only to frown as she still seemed consumed by her thoughts.

"Le Fay? What's wrong?" he asked, in concern for his strangely acting sister.

" _What's wrong?" asked the young blonde boy as he held a hand out to the girl sobbing in the beautiful garden._

 _Le Fay just looked up from her bloodied hands before a snarl grew on her face and she slapped his hand away from her, "I don't need your pity Arthur."_

 _The boy looked at her in surprise, "you know who I am?"_

 _Le Fay blinked in confusion, "I'm your sister Le Fay…didn't mother and father ever tell you about me?"_

 _Arthur shook his head in confusion before a bright smile appeared on his face as he grabbed her hand, "I have a sister, this is great! Come on let's play!"_

 _Le Fay's eyes widened, "you mean…you don't hate me?"_

" _Why would I hate you?" questioned Arthur with a frown._

" _Because I'm the descendant of Morgan Le Fay, the one responsible for the downfall of the original King Arthur! Doesn't that bother you?" she exclaimed, her tears still running down her face._

" _Nope," relied the boy happily, causing Le Fay to freeze in shock._

" _But…but…" she stuttered, only for Arthur to smile at her again._

" _Le Fay, I promise that I won't hate you and that I'll take care of you. If you promise not to act like Morgan ok? We're our own person, no matter what mother and father say," said Arthur as he hugged his sister._

 _Le Fay was briefly stunned before she returned the embrace and softly cried into his shoulder, the emotions that had been bottled up for years suddenly pouring out of her. "You promise?" she asked, weakly._

" _I promise," replied Arthur with another smile._

" _Thank you brother," cried Le Fay, and the garden was silent save for the quiet sobbing as the two descendants broke a decades old tradition in the blink of an eye._

Le Fay finally seemed to snap out of her daze as she turned to face Arthur, "brother do you remember when we first met? How they kept us separate from each other?"

"Of course," replied Arthur, thinking back to the time he had found the sobbing girl back at the Pendragon house, much to the annoyance of the family.

The young boy had been quite shocked to find he had a sister that his parents had hidden from him, but even more shocked to find how they treated her when they thought he wasn't looking. Immediately afterwards the two siblings had become near inseparable as he stopped them from hurting his little sister, causing their family no end of grief.

"Tell me, why didn't you treat me like the rest of the Pendragon family? You're the descendant of the King of Knights and I'm… _her_ descendant, you should have hated me more than any other. Why didn't you?" she asked, bring Arthur's attention back to the present.

"This again? Le Fay I told you, even if we share their names doesn't me we are them. We are our own person, regardless of what they tried to shape us into. You aren't Morgan, you are Le Fay, and that's all that I care about," replied Arthur as he gave his sibling a bright and caring smile.

She just took a deep breath, "so…if there was another one. If there was a descendant from that time, you wouldn't care?"

"The past is exactly that Le Fay, the past. I would judge them on their own actions and not that of their ancestor's…why is it so hard for you to let the past go?" asked her brother with a sigh, causing the witch's ominous words echo across her mind.

"… _if you refuse to accept and learn from your past mistakes, then you will be doomed to repeat them…and your brother will pay for it…"_

Le Fay just starting trembling in fear before she threw her brother's hand off her shoulder and rushed off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Ignoring her brother's increasingly frantic banging on the door as Le Fay softly sobbed in the corner, long buried memories from her time in the Pendragon household resurfacing.

" _See him Le Fay?" asked her mother as she pointed to the older blonde boy playing happily in the garden._

" _Yes mother," replied the young girl with a blank expression that looked disturbingly out of place on her childish face._

 _Her mother gazed upon her son with a proud smile before the expression devolved to disgust as she turned to face her daughter, "you will be his protector, his servant. That will be your task, your atonement for the past, your only purpose in life, just as all Le Fay before you. Do you understand?"_

" _Yes mother," repeated the girl, robotically._

" _Good now get back to work, I want you to have mastered this spell by the time I get back," snarled the adult as she left the room._

 _Le Fay heard the door slam shut as she stood watching the boy laughing in the garden below while she was confined to her small room, for a brief moment she felt a spike of anger and jealousy appear in her mind. Why did he get that treatment yet she was locked up in a room?!_

 _A growl of anger slowly rumbled out of her throat as she returned to her work, they wanted her to learn spells? Fine! She'd be the best magician they'd ever seen! She'd even surpass her ancestor! And if they refused to acknowledge her after that…there were other ways to use those spells, much more violent ways…_

'No that's not me anymore, I promised him! He's not like the others! My brother cares about me!' she thought, gripping her head as tear rolled down her face.

'Yes he cares about you, so are you just going to do nothing? Just let him die? You really are the descendant of Morgan aren't you?' whispered a soft voice at the back of her mind.

"LE FAY OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" yelled Arthur, as she heard the banging on the door grow louder.

Le Fay just ignored him as she wiped the tears away from her eyes before stopping as her eyes widened and she quickly thought back to the Devils. Her brother had requested information on all the Devils when they'd arrived and a frown appeared on her face as she remembered one in particular. That knight of the Gremory heiress, Kiba Yuuto, a survivor of the Holy Sword Project who bore a deep hatred for Holy Swords. Especially anything related to the Arthur legends…she could us him.

All she had to do was point him at a different descendant and the two of them might even kill each other. Yes, she would protect her brother…even if she had to break that promise she'd made to him all those years ago.

"I'm the descendant of Morgan Le Fay, it's time I start acting like it," she muttered, a plan slowly coming together in her mind as she placed her childish witch's hat in the corner and slipped out an open window, leaving her fellow conspirators behind as she disappeared into the night.

By the time Arthur finally kicked down the door, there was no sign of his sister and the descendant started panicking as he rushed over to the open window, only to see darkness. "LE FAY!" yelled Arthur at the top of his lungs into the darkened night.

"Milord please, you're drawing too much attention," hushed Valper in a respectful tone.

The descendant just rounded on the disgraced bishop before grabbing his collar and lifting him up off his feet, "my sister is missing and you're worried about drawing attention!"

Valper struggled in Arthur's grip as he replied, "please Milord, calm yourself. I am sure Lady Le Fay will return here in the morning."

Arthur growled as he dropped the bishop and headed towards the exit when his eyes caught something in the corner of his vision, it was the books he gave to his sister along with her witch's hat. All of them had been thrown to the ground as if their owner had been angered by them.

Frowning Arthur walked over to them and gently picked up the discarded hat before his eyes narrowed as he saw the pages that the books had been opened on, noting the one common theme shared between them. Mordred, the Knight of Treachery.

" _So…if there was another one. If there was a descendant from that time, you wouldn't care?_ "

"Oh no," gasped Arthur as he rushed over to the Pendragon family record and sure enough found it open on the Knight of Treachery itself.

Suddenly his sister's behavior of the past few days made a horrible amount of sense, but why didn't she tell him? Did she want to run off and join them? Heaven knows that the main family had treated her badly enough that it wasn't an impossibility.

"No she promised me…there has to be another reason," he muttered, before his eyes widened.

If the descendant of Mordred was treated the same way Le Fay had been before he had found her…then it was clear that they'd harbor no small amount of hatred for the descendant of the King of Knights. With a grim expression on his face Arthur gripped Caliburn tightly and headed towards the door, if this descendant wanted to use his sister to get to him then so be it.

"Milord where are you going?" asked Valper in concern.

"To find my sister and then Mimic, and once I do Valper, you _will_ reforge Excalibur for me. Do you understand?" growled Arthur as Caliburn began glowing with barely restrained power,

"B-but Kokabiel said to wait for the Samhain feis before I do tha-" stuttered Valper fearfully, only to cut himself off as a glowing Caliburn was shoved against his neck.

The ex-bishop swallowed fearfully before he slowly nodded his head, "of course Milord, I shall begin my preparations."

Arthur then removed his sword from the bishop's neck, causing Valper to breathe a sigh of relief as the descendant left the room. Arthur just growled, if the descendant of Mordred was so intent on repeating the Battle of Camlann that they would stoop so low as to use his sister…then he would be happy to oblige them.

* * *

"So Irina, how does it feel to be back here after all these years?" asked Xenovia as she stowed Durandal on her back.

"It's great, I can't wait to see Issei again," replied the Mimic wielder with a happy smile.

* * *

 **So…it looks like the Excalibur arc is about to become one huge Clusterfuck…that should be fun…**

 **The next chapter will probably take a while depending on if I split it into two or make it one extremely long one. Anyway, this is probably a good time to mention that after the meeting of the three factions I'll be going on temporary hiatus to reread and get back up to date on all the LNs.**


	11. Sins of the Past

**Well it sure has been a while…but work has piled on and I had no free time. Anyway, this isn't my favourite chapter but I pushed through it. Enjoy…I'm going to take a nice long nap…**

 **Before I forget, shout out to duskrider for thinking up the name for this chapter.**

 **Question time:**

 **FITH96:** I found that out a while ago, I must've misread the wiki. However, by then it was too late and I just decided to roll with it.

 **NoNameReviewer:** You nailed Avenger's identity. As for Gae Bolg, you're right. A couple of my more fate knowledgeable reviewers pointed that out to me. Solomon actually as one big weakness in the DxD world that I'm surprised has been overlooked by everyone so far. Siegfried will be in this but as a proper Servant.

 **Victory3114** : From my understanding Secret of Pedigree protects its wielder's identity. At the time the wielder was still Issei and not Mordred which is why Le Fay was able to recognize it. After all, it doesn't stop her from incorrectly guessing at his identity.

 **TheLaughingStalk:** BERSERKER!

 **Zam138** : I see…unfortunately I don't know any way to fix that. If you think of one let me know.

 **Flamingo:** Well thanks for being honest. As for rewriting the story, if I get enough requests for it or it gets too out of hand then I might do it but in all honesty I'd probably abandon this story or put it up for adoption instead since the chances are I'd make just as many mistakes and maybe even the same ones. Also you're going to hate this chapter, so yeah I won't recommend reading it in that case.

 **DestinyFriend:** That is a very interesting idea about Azazel, and while I probably won't use it like you suggested it has given me a good idea so thanks for that. Evil in a good way? Umm…I have no idea what you mean by that. Yeah that was the plan with the OC arc. As for Rider, as cool as that would be I have a set event for when he will show up but trust me Issei is still going to cause the Greeks no end of confusion. Everyone seemed to have the same opinion as you about Mordred and Le Fay.

So your guess' for Avenger were all wrong again but you are much closer to the answer the you realize with the different versions of characters. You picked up about that? Yeah it actually wasn't a bad plan and made a lot of sense…too bad it's been thrown out the window. The hero faction and the cards reaction to them will be amusing.

 **Guest** : Morgan wasn't actually Arthur's sister? Wow didn't know that…oh well in Nasuverse she is, so I'll just stick to that.

 **Wanderer No.96** : Nailed it.

 **FateLover:** Ok thanks for the heads up. Well done in figuring out the dynamics of the Pendragon family, you got it exactly right. Riser's reaction: it was mostly from a messed up admiration of 'Atalanta' mixed with her natural beauty and wild nature. Is it true love? Of course not. It is a schoolboy crush, could it evolve into something more? Sure, if I was feeling evil and vindictive to Issei. Next his peerage and parents: his peerage would hate it in fact they'd probably treat Atalanta the same way Riser would treat Issei if they ever met again, jealousy is funny like that. His parents likely don't care since it is much better than how he used to act, the lesser of two evils you know?

 **AlexIskander** : Mate you just saved me so many headaches it's not funny, I hope you don't mind but I'm definitely using that idea for Rider.

 **Ezok:** You're about to find out.

 **UnderdarkCaster** : Oh it's definitely a coping mechanism. Mordred and the Sword of Appointment will play a big role in this.

 **Zikarn Krais** : ….. ….. ….

 **T-B-R:** It's on the list of possible Omakes I'll do.

 **dsgundam00:** Fate Zero one.

 **Kinunatzs:** Yeah I did forget about Conceptual Ability beating Pure Power.

 **DragonMaster128:** Pretty much.

 **Crofty666** : Not against Kokabiel…

 **AsuraYuki:** Include? Yes. Install? No.

 **Lightningblade49:** Yep, he really has dug himself into a hole. Hasn't he?

 **Karlos1234ify** : Irina? Yep she's part of it but I don't think I'll add Xenovia.

 **King of Plot Bunnies** : Just one in the first chapter.

* * *

"Scathach, why are you so angry? Rias gave you the money we promised you, besides it's not like you had to do much. Just sit in a tent," frowned Issei, only to duck as his instincts screamed a warning of an oncoming threat.

The teen swallowed fearfully as a fist flew over his head, missing his face by millimeters and immediately causing the human to back away from Scathach. 'That was too close,' breathed Issei in relief as the witch turned to face him with an annoyed expression.

[Impressive partner, none of us expected you to dodge that. Do you secretly have an Eye of Mind skill?]

'I've had a lot of practice dealing with an angry Scathach Ddriag. I feel sorry for Setenta, God knows how the hell he survived so long with her,' sighed Issei in exasperation.

[Actually, he says that she was never this bad with him, I guess you're just a lucky one.]

The teen growled as he heard the dragon's rumbling laughter echo across his mind before being cut off by Scathach's voice, "that wasn't what I had in mind when you said I'd be rewarded."

Issei just tilted his head in confusion, "then what were you thinking?"

The witch just shook her head, "you really are that dense aren't you? By the Gods do I have to hold a damned sign! Forget it I'm too tired to deal with this today."

Scathach then turned before heading back to the house with Issei and Asia keeping a cautious distance behind the fuming witch. "Asia, you're a girl right? Am I missing something here?" asked Issei as he turned to the nun in confusion.

However, the nun just shook her head as she gave him a smile that seemed slightly off to Issei. "I'm sure it's your imagination Issei," replied Asia before following after Scathach.

[Well colour me surprised, it really is the quiet ones you need to watch out for.]

Issei ignored the dragon as he rushed after the two females and the rest of the walk home was filled with an awkward silence before Scathach suddenly stuck her hand out as they reached the house, stopping them in their tracks. "We have intruders," she announced as the witch examined one of the glowing runes that appeared as they crossed into the Boundary Field.

"DAD!" cried Issei as he rushed into the house, the Lancer card in his hand.

"ISSEI WAIT!" yelled Scathach as she summoned Gae Bolg and the two females ran after him, only to find the teen frozen in the kitchen hallway.

Frowning the two of them followed his gaze and saw two blonde and blue haired girls sitting on the couch with Mr. Hyoudou, a photo album splayed out before them. Asia gave a low gasp of shock as she recognized the clothes the two were wearing, they were official Church Exorcists. Sensing no hostility from the intruders Scathach dematerialized her spear just as the group noticed their presence.

The blonde girl leapt to her feet and rushed over to Issei with a spring in her step, "Issei, it's so good to see you again!"

There was a deep silence as everyone turned to the teen whom gained a confused expression, "who are you?"

* * *

Kiba sighed as he walked back to his home, ever since the Celts destroyed the Fallen in the area, Kuoh had rapidly regained its peaceful status. Not that this was a bad thing mind you, but everyone, even Buchou had lowered their guard in this peace, not to mention the odd atmosphere between Buchou and Akeno.

The Knight didn't know just what had gone on between the two but the two close friends had had an awkward atmosphere surrounding them since before Riser's visit. When he asked Buchou about it she was just as clueless as him and talking to Akeno was no help as she just said she wasn't allowed to talk about it before muttering about 'Buchou's mirror.'

And then there was Issei…he was grateful that the human had convinced his faction to help with the Riser situation but he also wasn't dumb. No matter how sincere Issei was about helping, his faction would not interfere unless they had something to gain from it. The Sekiryuutei now had the Gremory family in their debt and it was only a matter of time before they decided to cash in, if they haven't already.

"Someone's not looking too happy, but then considering your past I guess that's not a big surprise," said a cheerful voice, causing Kiba's eyes to widen as he spun around and saw a young blonde haired girl smirking at him.

'How did she get so close without me realizing it?' frowned the Devil as he prepared to summon a sword.

The blonde haired girl just held her hands up in a gesture of surrender, "now, now, there's no need to be so aggressive."

"Who are you?" demanded Kiba.

The girl's smirk grew, "just someone who has some information you might find intriguing."

"Oh really?" scoffed the Knight. "And what might that be?"

"Kiba Yuuto, also known as the Prince of Kuoh Academy and unknown to his peers…is a Devil in the service of the Gremory family. Tell me, do you see the faces of your friends in your sleep? The light slowly dying from their eyes even as they scream at you to run?" she questioned in a cheerful tone.

The Devil's eyes widened before a low growl emanated from his throat as he summoned Holy Eraser in his hand, "mind what you say, girl. That damned experiment is not one that I wish to discuss with the likes of you."

The girl nodded as her smile shifted into a frown, "ah yes the Holy Sword project. Truly, it was a horrible experiment…and yet you don't seem that concerned about it. Considering, how you're trampling over your friend's sacrifices."

The girl then had to duck as Holy Eraser went flying over her head and Kiba stared at her with a murderous expression on his face, "what did you say?"

The girl backed up a fair distance before shrugging at him as she replied, "it's just that for a survivor of the Holy Sword project you certainly don't seem to have a problem befriending a descendant of the Pendragon family."

"I don't know who you are, but if you continue to insult me I'll strike you down now! I don't know any members of that accursed family!" snarled Kiba.

The girl just gained a shocked expression, "you mean he didn't tell you? Well that certainly explains a lot."

The knight frowned as he began eying the surrounding area for hidden enemies, "what are you talking about?"

A sly grin grew on the girl's face, "that boy, Issei Hyoudou, is actually a descendant from the Pendragon family. And not just any member either…that boy is a descendant from the King of Knights himself."

Kiba just gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, "do you think I'm stupid? Issei is a descendant of Cu Chulainn, even Scathach herself confirmed it."

The blonde girl nodded, "indeed he has quite the bloodline doesn't he? However, what's to say he can't be both? He has two parents doesn't he? Tell me what do you know of his mother?"

For the first time there was a tiny bit of doubt appearing in the knight's eyes as he lowered his sword slightly. "Not much, only that she died a long time ago," admitted the Knight before shaking his head and raising his sword back up to a ready position.

"But that doesn't mean you're right, and you still haven't told me who you are," growled the blonde devil.

The girl gained a sheepish expression as she smiled at him, "that's right I haven't introduced myself have I?"

"Rest assured I'm someone who has no love for the Pendragon family," spat the girl, surprising Kiba with the amount of venom in her voice.

The Devil's frown deepened as he saw the familiar hate in her eyes before the girl bowed before him, "it's a pleasure to meet you Kiba Yuuto, my name is Morgan Le Fay…"

* * *

"Who are you?" frowned Issei, making tears appear in the eyes of the blonde girl in question.

"Issei you can't tell me you've forgotten your childhood friend!" she cried, getting sympathetic looks from her blue haired friend.

"I think I would remember being friends with a girl as pretty as you, and the only person that I would consider a childhood friend would be Irina," muttered Issei as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"YOU DO REMEMBER ME!" she cheered before embracing him in a tight hug, bringing a blush to his face as he felt her chest push against his.

"Wait you're Irina?" exclaimed Issei in shock as they parted.

"That's right! I'm so glad you didn't turn into one of those filthy Devils, when I heard Gremory had claimed this as her territory I was so worried!" laughed Irina, while Issei just blinked as he tried to take in the fact that his best friend was now a girl.

"So…" he began, cautiously. "How long have you been a girl? I mean when did you decide to go under the knife?"

There was a deep silence that filled the room as everyone stared at him in shock before Irina gained a faint blush as she drew her fist back and socked the teen in the face. "I was born a girl! I was always a girl! How did you not know that?!" she shouted at the groaning form of Issei.

[That was an impressive punch, she'd make a good boxer. Oi partner, you still awake? Why don't you ask her cup size to while you're at it.]

'Shut up Ddriag!' he growled, still reeling from the recent blow to his head.

"Sorry," coughed out Issei as he struggled to keep the world from spinning and attempted to get to his feet, only to collapse on top of Irina.

"Issei where are you touching!" cried the red faced exorcist as she threw him off her.

"Irina, was your friend always such a pervert?" asked the blue one.

Irina shook her head as a murderous look appeared on her face, "no those Devils must have done it. They corrupted my ISSEI! Once we're done here I'll make them pay."

"Devils? Oh I get it, it's some type of game isn't it?" questioned Mr. Hyoudou, making everyone freeze as they remembered the human still in the room.

"That's right! It's a new game we've been playing recently. Come on guys follow me, we'll continue this conversation somewhere where we won't disturb dad," ordered Issei as he headed towards the attic.

Everyone shared a look before they followed him into the rune-covered attic as Issei turned to Scathach, "we'll continue this in the Land of Shadows."

The witch nodded and pressed one of the runes as a portal appeared and the party entered it, with Irina and her friend only showing a moment's hesitation before following them in. The pair then gasped as they saw the unmoving twilight sky above them and suppressed shudders at the thought of what could be living in such a place as this.

"So this is the Land of Shadows, what a terrible place," muttered the blue haired exorcist.

"Insulting someone's home after they've invited you in, you exorcists are clearly lacking in manners," growled the witch, causing both exorcists to fearfully glance at the glaring witch inches from their faces.

"Easy Scathach, I'm sure they didn't mean it," sighed Issei, grabbing the witch by the shoulder.

"Indeed please accept my most sincere apologies," replied the blue haired exorcist with a bow.

Scathach just glared at the exorcist for a couple of seconds before snorting as she moved to lean against the nearby wall, making sure to keep both exorcists in her sight. "Why are you here exorcists? And don't give me some lie like coming to visit Issei, you would have done so much sooner if that was the case," she interrogated.

"Indeed, first allow us to introduce ourselves. You already know my partner Irina, and my name is Xenovia, we are exorcists here on a mission from the Church," introduced Xenovia, getting a worried frown from Asia whom decided to hide behind Issei.

"Then why introduce yourselves to us? I may not know much about politics but even I know that you should be talking to Rias and Sona for something like this," frowned Issei.

"It's because they want something from us before they meet them, Issei. The question is, what?" replied Scathach as she kept her gaze fixed on the two exorcists.

Xenovia nodded at this, "the Church would like to ask for your faction's assistance in dealing with a certain issue that has arisen."

Scathach frowned as Gae Bolg appeared in her hands, "that depends on what this task is. If you expect us to be a scapegoat for some misguided assassination on the Devils then I'll kill you both right here and now."

"No it's not like that at all! We're actually trying to prevent an incident with the Devils, we swear!" assured Irina, hurriedly.

"Explain," demanded the witch, leaving no room for arguments as she leveled her spear at them.

"Recently the Church suffered a series of break-ins, in which five of our Holy Swords were stolen from various installations. They were then tracked back to Kuoh and thus we were assigned to hunt down the thieves and retrieve or destroy the stolen blades," explained Xenovia.

"They sent just the two of you? Against an entire organization?" replied Scathach with a shake of her head at this apparent stupidity.

"Indeed which is why when we found out about your faction we were ordered to try and obtain your assistance in this matter," answered Xenovia.

"And at the same time eliminate us as one of the possible culprits for the theft," smirked the Immortal Witch. "Say we agree, what's in it for us?"

Xenovia just smirked as she and Scathach began negotiating a price for their co-operation while Irina, Asia and Issei stood off in a corner watching the two haggle. "I don't think I've ever seen Xenovia take something this seriously before," mutter Irina.

"Well she is negotiating against Scathach, that aside what's so important about these blades that you need to retrieve or destroy them immediately?" asked Issei curiously.

"Well they are made from the fragments of the strongest holy sword in existence, because of that the Church guards them fiercely," replied Asia, getting a frown from Issei.

"The Strongest Holy Sword?" he repeated in confusion.

Irina laughed as the bracelet around her arm suddenly transformed into a sword, "come on Issei you know the stories, it's the most famous sword to ever exist. The Sword of Promised Victory, Excalibur!"

[That's not good.]

The teen collapsed to the ground as a pounding headache erupted in his head and Issei struggled to keep conscious as spots of black began appearing in his vision. Irina quickly turned Mimic back into its bracelet form as she and Asia rushed over to Issei's collapsed form, watching as he started to spasm and streaks of his hair changed to a bright blonde.

"Issei!" cried Asia as she enveloped the teen in Twilight Healing's green glow, breathing a sigh of relief as his spasming stopped.

[That was too close, thank the Gods that we had the nun here or things would have gone far worse.]

'Ddriag, what was that?' asked the teen as Irina and Asia helped him to his feet, Scathach and Xenovia still consumed by the negotiating to notice him.

[That was Mordred partner, she's starting to wake up. Thankfully, the nun's Sacred Gear slowed her down.]

Issei frowned, 'Mordred? As in the one who killed King-'

[Stop! Whatever you do, do not say that name!]

'I see, so I was right. Now what?' asked Issei with a mental sigh.

[Listen we all think that you should stay out of this fight. With Mordred starting to wake up, this whole situation has become a powder keg just waiting for a spark.]

'Irina's, asking for my help Ddraig, and if I don't she could die with only the two of them against a whole organization. I'm not going to take that chance, I guess we're just going to have to hope that I'm actually lucky for a change,' he replied with a sad smile.

[We're screwed…]

* * *

Irina frowned as she helped support Issei's body and saw the numerous blonde streaks running through his hair as well as one of his eyes was now a bright green. Suddenly there was a pulse of…something that briefly came from Mimic at the sight before a quick burst of unexplainable rage coursed through her body.

Shaking her head to drive off the unexpected outburst, Irina frowned as she saw Xenovia and Scathach approaching them. The exorcist had an annoyed frown on her face while Scathach had a triumphant smirk, making Irina shudder at thinking how much had been promised in exchange for the help.

"We've come to an agreement, unfortunately I'm away for the next couple of days as there is a meeting Morrigan informed me of that I intend to crash. So only Issei and Asia will be going with you to see the Devils…Issei what happened to you?" asked the witch with a concerned frown.

"Just some problem with the cards, don't worry about it," reassured Issei, getting a suspicious look from Scathach before she shrugged.

"Alright well before we head back I would like a word with, Irina? Was it?" stated Scathach as she gestured for Irina to follow her.

The exorcist exchanged a glance with her friend but Xenovia just shrugged, apparently just as confused by this as she was, before following the witch. Eventually the pair stopped once they were out of hearing range of the others and Scathach turned to face her with an analyzing expression on her face.

"So you knew Issei from when you were both children correct?" she asked, getting a nod from Irina.

The witch then glared at her, "why are you here?"

Irina frowned, "what do you mean? We told you the Excaliburs-"

"I know that, I mean why are _you_ here? I understand your friend, she is the chosen wielder of Durandal after all, yes I know what weapons she's hiding. However, why didn't they send someone else with her instead of you? I'm sure there are much more skilled swordsman capable of wielding your blade," pointed out the witch as she eyed Mimic.

Irina just stood in stunned silence as Scathach continued eyeing her with an appraising look on her face, before she released a pitying sigh. "I see, you really had no idea did you? Shall I tell you why the Church chose to send you?" continued the witch, drawing Irina's attention once again.

The Godslayer gave another pitying smile as she continued, "it's because of your relationship with Issei. They are using you to ensure Issei's co-operation, after all what childhood friend would stand idly by while the other puts their life on the line."

"You're lying! The church would never do something like that!" argued the exorcist as she glared at Scathach.

"Such loyalty, it's a shame that it is misplaced but at least I know you don't have any intention of using Issei anymore then you already have," muttered Scathach as she started walking back to the group, leaving Irina alone with her thoughts.

'The Church wouldn't use me and Issei like that…would they?' she thought as a seed of doubt began to take root in her mind.

* * *

"Alright, now remember NO PICKING FIGHTS WITH RIAS AND SONA UNDERSTAND!" growled an exasperated Issei as he, Asia and the two exorcists entered Kuoh academy.

"Don't worry we won't be the ones to start a fight if one breaks out," assured Xenovia, whom had been constantly keeping her eyes on Asia with an interested expression on her face.

Issei just sighed as he felt Asia cower behind him again, "Xenovia is there a reason that you keep glancing at Asia?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a bit confused how a heretic can still smell so strongly of faith. She didn't even become a Devil like we feared she would after the Fallen were wiped out," replied the exorcist.

"Now that you mention it, it is odd that she's not a Devil, considering how she was excommunicated," pointed out Irina with a frown as the two exorcists studied the former nun.

"I may not be part of the Church anymore but I still love and worship our Lord, nothing will ever change that," replied Asia with certainty, no one noticing the tiny flinch from Issei at this.

"I see, provided things go well I'll put in a good word for you with Griselda, maybe we can get you reinstated," offered Xenovia, getting a nod of agreement from Irina and a hug from the nun in question as she continuously thanked her.

Issei smiled at the three of them before clapping his hands, "okay you three break it up. We still have a mission to complete."

Getting nods from the three of them, Issei lead the group towards the ORC clubroom even as Irina spoke up, "shouldn't we have informed them of this meeting beforehand?"

Issei just laughed as he waved his hand, "there's no point, if Scathach is right about their defenses then they already knew about us the moment we came within five blocks of the school. I'm sure they're already waiting for us as we speak."

"I see," frowned Xenovia even as her hand twitched.

Seeing this Issei frowned, "where's your weapon Xenovia, is it disguised like Irina's?"

The exorcist shook her head, "no, only Mimic has that ability. My sword is sealed until it's needed as it is too dangerous to wield otherwise."

"I see," frowned Issei as he filed that information away for later as they arrived at the doors. "Ready?"

Getting nods from the rest of his party, Issei gave a soft knock on the door. "Come in," ordered Rias in a soft voice.

The group walked in to find all of Rias' and Sona's peerage waiting for them inside, with all but Kiba having blank expression on their faces. However, what surprised and put all of them on guard was the look on Kiba's face, which could only be described as murderous as he glared at Mimic on the exorcist's wrist.

"Issei, it's good to see you, mind telling us who your friends are?" asked Rias, raising her eyebrows at his strange appearance.

Xenovia stepped forward, "my name is Xenovia and this is my partner Irina, we are here on official Church business."

"Which is?" prompted Sona with a frown.

And so the two exorcists explained the purpose of their visit, causing another major headache to pain Issei as they again mentioned Excalibur, the teen struggling to fight it off as more blonde streaks appeared in his hair. In fact Issei was so consumed in his attempt to keep Mordred asleep that he didn't even notice the numerous arguments breaking out between Kiba and the exorcists as Asia struggled to heal him.

Thankfully it seemed that very few had noticed his display as they attention was focused on the rapidly devolving situation between Kiba and the exorcists. However, both Sona and Rias' eyes narrowed as they saw the nun quickly administering her treatment and a soft glow came from the cardholder on his belt.

"Who are you to insult the Church like that!?" yelled Irina in anger as Mimic turned into a sword, only for Xenovia to hold her back.

"Remember Irina, we can't start a fight. Even against a blaspheming heretic like that," reminded Xenovia as she gritted her teeth in frustration, her own rage just barely being contained.

The blue haired exorcist then turned back to Rias, "so that's the situation. The Church has made it clear that you are not to interfere with our mission."

"And what about Issei? Where does he fit in to all this?" asked Rias as she glanced at the teen whom was slowly getting to his feet, the cardholder still glowing.

"The Church hired him and his faction to assist us in reclaiming the Excaliburs," replied Xenovia, only for everyone to hear a soft whisper come from Issei.

"They're not Excalibur, my father's sword would never break," muttered the teen in a trace like state before shaking his head as he seemed to snap out of it.

"I see, very well we won't interfere as long as we aren't threatened and we get daily updates from Issei of the situation," demanded Rias, much to Kiba's shock as he started trembling in rage.

Before anyone could react Kiba summoned Holy Eraser and pointed it at Xenovia's throat, "I refuse to let you leave here with that Excalibur intact. In fact I'll destroy them all myself!"

"Kiba put the sword down, now!" ordered a horrified Rias, only to be ignored by the knight who now had placed the point of his sword against the exorcist's neck.

Suddenly there was a flash of white light that blinded everyone, as their eyesight recovered from the bright burst a collective gasp of shock echoed across the room and they saw Holy Eraser cleanly cut in two. The top half of the sword collapsing to the floor with a resounding clang as the saw Issei glaring at Kiba with a burning rage, a sword in one hand and his hair nearly completely blonde.

"I said, that pitiful excuse for a blade is NOT EXCALIBUR!" growled the teen.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as Irina readied her blade and Xenovia prepared to summon Durandal, meanwhile the Devils began reading themselves for a fight. "Everyone STAND DOWN NOW!" shouted Sona and all the Devils other than Kiba reluctantly followed her orders.

Seeing this Rias frowned as she ordered Koneko and Akeno to restrain Kiba before things escalated any further. "Issei please lower your blade I'll be sure to punish Kiba for this later, believe me," assured Rias, making Issei blink in confusion.

"Blade?" he repeated before looking down at the sword in his hand with a frown. "When did I summon this?"

Shaking his head he tried to dismiss the blade only to find it refusing to turn back to card form, 'this can't be good. Any ideas Ddraig?'

[None right now partner, Lancer and Caster are running damage control but there's only so much they can do. Try Twilight Healing again, that might help, other than that just cross your fingers and hope for the best I guess.]

Sighing Issei lowered his sword and gestured for Asia to heal him again only for the result to be failure once again. Seeing this Irina also lowered her blade as Mimic transformed back into its bracelet form and Xenovia and Asia relaxed slightly before the group left the ORC.

Now alone the Devils all turned to Kiba with various expressions of anger, relief and disappointment. "So Kiba do you have anything to say for yourself," frowned Rias.

"No Buchou," he replied in anger, before walking out.

In his wake, no one noticed a certain blonde haired girl watching them from a distance with a smile spreading across her face. No one except a certain white haired Nekoshou, whom glanced at her direction with a frown before following her new prey at a distance.

* * *

"So how was your club meeting? Anything interesting happen?" asked a familiar female voice as Kiba opened the door to his home.

"You already know the answer to that Morgan, and how did you get in here?" growled the Devil as he summoned Holy Eraser and pointed it at the blonde girl happily eating potato chips on his couch while watching TV.

"Your Boundary Field around this place was laughably weak, it was easy to bypass them," replied Morgan with a wave of her hand, making Kiba grit his teeth in frustration.

"And so you decided to just let yourself in?" growled the Knight.

"Yep, enough about that though, tell me why didn't you attack that exorcist? She had Mimic after all," questioned the girl with an innocent expression on her face.

"Issei wouldn't let me," he replied as the Knight clenched his fist in frustration.

"Truly? Now why on earth would he do that? It doesn't seem fair to you, I mean he must know about the Holy Sword project and yet still sides with them," asked Morgan with a frown.

"She is his childhood friend," grunted out the Devil as he dematerialized his sword.

"I guess, but that seems like a pretty poor excuse to me. After all, weren't they not meant to have spoken to each other since she left? And not only that but did you notice his appearance?" she continued, turning back to the TV.

The Devil said nothing at this as he thought back to Issei's strange changes since they last met the day earlier, 'he didn't seem to be the type to dye his hair and that was definitely not a coloured contact lens. So what was going on?'

"Hey you wanna hear something interesting? Arthur Pendragon had blonde hair and green eyes, does that sound familiar?" smirked the girl as she turned to face him.

"It could be a coincidence," pointed out Kiba, even as he tried to ignore the girl's scoff and walked into the kitchen for food.

"Oh a coincidence? Let me ask you Kiba Yuuto, do you truly believe that? Deep down you know I'm right, or do your dead friends really mean so little to you?" questioned Morgan, only to dive to the side as a sword pierced the spot she had just vacated.

"Now, now, don't have a temper tantrum," she scolded, childishly. "But you do have to wonder why the Church chose to ask him for help in reclaiming the Excaliburs. Speaking from experience, they usually ask the Pendragon family for help in incidents like these. So why pick him?"

"So what would you have me do? He is under the Godslayer's protection, not only that but Buchou would be in trouble as well," growled the Devil.

"Didn't he say that Scathach was occupied for the next couple of days and besides I have an easy way for you to protect your King. Become a Stray, she can't be held responsible for things her former Servants do, can she?" informed the grinning Morgan.

Seeing the teen now having a thoughtful expression on his face Morgan nodded before she threw a two pieces of torn paper at him. "Here's a little present I got straight from the Pendragon family archives themselves, one of the few pictures of Excalibur when it was whole and the armour of the King of Knights himself," she said and walked out, leaving a frowning Kiba to examine the pictures before roaring in rage as he tore them to shreds.

Shortly after this, the Knight stormed out of his house, his body trembling in rage as he disappeared into the night. Le Fay just grinned as she saw this, after all he didn't need to know she had actually given him pictures of Clarent and the Knight of Treachery. Now it was only a matter of time.

She was so engulfed in thought that Le Fay didn't even notice she herself was being followed until it was too late, faster than the witch could react a white blur shot out of the nearby bushes and knocked her to the ground. The witch's eyes widened as she saw Koneko staring down at her with a frown before the Rook raised her fist and everything turned black.

* * *

"I wish negotiations had gone better but I suppose that it could have been a lot worse, by the way what was it that caused Kiba to go and act like that? Irina?" questioned the teen as he glanced at his friend before sighing, as she seemed too distracted to notice him.

"Asia, Xenovia, you guys find anything?" asked Issei as he brought his phone up to his head.

"No, we're going to do one more round before we call it for the night," came Xenovia's voice from the phone.

"Understood, cya guys back at the house," replied the teen as he hung up.

"Xenovia and Asia are a bust, let's do another patrol and then follow their example okay Irina? Irina? Hello? Anyone home?" questioned Issei as he waved a hand in front of his distracted friend, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? What?" muttered the exorcist, shaking her head.

Issei frowned at how distracted his friend seemed ever since they had gotten back from the Land of Shadows, "Irina, are you okay?"

"Of course I am Issei! Everything is AOK! Come on let's get back to searching!" she said with fake cheer.

The teen frowned before he saw lights in the distance and laughed as he grabbed her hand, much to her red-faced shock, and dragged his friend towards them. Irina just stared at their hands and another sad frown appeared as Scathach's words again echoed across her head.

"We're here!" announced Issei, snapping the exorcist out of her thoughts as she spun around and her eyes widened as she saw the numerous stalls surrounding them. 'That's right, it was about now when I had to leave Kuoh. Has it really been that long?' sighed Irina.

"Hey Irina, do you remember this place?" asked Issei, making an amused smile cross his childhood friend's face.

"Oh course, I do. It was the last place we visited before I was sent over to the Church for training," answered Irina with a smile.

Issei just laughed as the pair continued walking down the festival stalls, "that's right, still things sure have changed huh? I've become strong to protect my friends and family, now I don't need you to bail me out anymore. In fact, this time I'm the one bailing you out, oh the irony."

The teen had expected Irina to give a sarcastic comment in return but instead there was only silence from his childhood friend. Frowning Issei turned and saw his friend's happy smile had changed to one of deep sadness as she stared at the ground.

"I wish you'd refused," she muttered, quietly.

The teen gained a confused expression as he turned to face her, "come on Irina, this is no time for you to be prideful. You need help to recover the blades after all, it's too dangerous for anything else."

"That's exactly it! It _is_ dangerous and you agreed to help without a second thought! You could die! And all because of me!" shouted the exorcist, angrily and drawing curious looks from their fellow celebrators.

The exorcist then stormed off with Issei blinking in confusion as he hurried after her, only for them both to be interrupted by a male voice calling out to them. "You two over there, tell me would you like free tickets to the best ride in the festival?" cried a familiar voice, making Irina curiously approach the old man while Issei just went pale as he recognized the man calling them over.

"Welcome to Carnival Phantasm! A ride that I can assure you even the most seasoned festival goers have never experienced before," greeted Zelretch with a smile as he gestured towards what looked like a type of rollercoaster leading into the small tent.

"You can fit a ride in that tiny tent? Don't be ridiculous, come on Irina this is obviously a waste of time," scoffed Issei as he tried to drag his friend away from the troll.

Zelretch just had a knowing smile form on his face, "believe me it's a whole new world in that tent, boy."

"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered the teen, quietly.

"Issei, don't be rude. Besides I'm sure it's actually quite fun," scolded Irina as she slapped his head and walked over to the rollercoaster car.

Seeing her bout of sadness had been forgotten in the wake of this new distraction Issei sighed before he looked at the rollercoaster car with no small amount of fear before giving a tired groan as he followed his friend into the ride. 'I just know I'm going to regret this,' he sighed internally, only to push the negative thought to the side as he saw the excited expression on Irina's face.

"Irina, when was the last time you've been on a ride?" asked Issei in amusement, bringing an embarrassed flush to his friend's face.

"A while," she admitted, shyly.

Zelretch chose this moment to strap them into the car, "now remember to keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. Failure to do so can result in but are not limited to; insanity, injury and death."

"What?!" screamed Issei as he desperately tried to escape the car but found himself unable to.

The oblivious Irina just turned to him with a frown, "Issei they always have that warning message, it's nothing to panic about."

"WITH HIM AT THE WHEEL IT IS! LET ME OUT!" demanded the teen as the car began to roll towards the tent.

"Sorry can't hear you!" replied Zelretch with his irritating grin appear on his face before the car entered the tent.

"ZELRETCH!" screamed the teen as the car was swallowed into the darkness of the tent.

"Well that was fun, now to find my next victim. That half demon and the boy wonder himself should be arriving at the carnival by now in D.C. world no. 50. Ah those two are truly 'Lovebirds'," mused the magician with a grin.

* * *

The pair screamed as they were surrounded by a vibrant array of various colours that hurt their eyes just to stare at them. Eventually the near maddening surroundings ended as they saw a portal form ahead of them and soon found themselves staring up at the blue sky above them.

"Issei, we're flying!" cried Irina in shock.

The teen's eyes widened as he looked over the edge and saw that sure enough the rollercoaster car was slowly descending towards the ground. 'Damn it Zelretch what have you done this time?' sighed the teen as he felt the car touch the ground.

"Where are we?" questioned Irina as she made to get out of car, only for Issei to stop her with a shake of his head.

"Trust me Irina, if he said not to get out then we need to stay in the vehicle. Don't worry I'll explain what's happened later but for now just do as he says," he informed her with a serious expression.

Irina was about to respond before her jaw dropped open and she silently pointed to something behind him, making Issei turn to follow her gaze before he too felt his jaw hit the floor. In front of the two of them were none other than ten-year-old versions of themselves playing Hero as they rushed from tree to tree.

"I've got you now Ise!" cried the younger Irina as she ran towards him.

"Keep dreaming Iri!" replied his counterpart as he continued evading her.

"Ah these were the days weren't they? Just two innocent kids playing Hero, I still think it wasn't my fault I thought you were a boy. I mean look at how you were as a kid," laughed the teen.

Irina then looked up to meet his eyes and surprised Issei by the pain held in them, "Issei do you know why I never contacted you after we moved?"

"The Church wouldn't let you?" guessed the teen in response, only to see Irina shake her head.

"No the Church encourages us to form outside relationships as long as they don't give away Church secrets, it actually helps keep us mentally stable after so many missions," replied Irina with a sad smile.

Issei frowned upon hearing this, "then why didn't you talk to me?"

Irina just sighed, "I didn't want to involve you with the supernatural world, you had a peaceful life and I didn't want to disrupt that. You know how dangerous the supernatural world is, what kind of friend would I be if I got you caught up in it."

"You didn't have to cut me off, a simple hello every now and then would have been fine," argued the teen.

The exorcist was silent before she sighed again, "I wanted to but…it's not uncommon for friends of exorcists to be killed. We make many enemies in our line of work Issei, some of who would have no problem killing unrelated friends simply for vengeance."

Irina just stopped as she stared down at the younger forms of Issei and herself with a sad smile, "she was right you know."

"Who was?" frowned Issei.

His childhood friend gave another sad smile, "Scathach. I've been thinking about what she said, Xenovia makes sense but the Church should have sent someone other than me to accompany her. Griselda would have been better choice and yet they still chose me."

Issei watched as his friend's face gained an angered expression before she growled out, "they wanted to use me to get to you, get you to fight their battles for them. What kind of people would do that? Get an uninvolved innocent to clean up their mess. How can they even call themselves people of God with that attitude?!"

"How could the Church I devoted myself to be so…so..." trailed off Irina, shaking her head in anger.

"Evil?" guessed Issei with raised eyebrows, making his friend spin to face him as he continued. "Irina, tell me what you know about Asia."

"The former Holy Maiden? Not much, I know she was excommunicated from the Church as a heretic for helping a Devil before joining the Fallen Angels. After that she joined the Sekiryuutei's faction once the Fallen were wiped out," replied the exorcist.

Issei's expression darkened, "is that what the Church told you?"

Irina just nodded her head in confusion as her friend sighed, "she was excommunicated simply because she helped someone, whether or not he is a Devil is irrelevant."

The exorcist frowned, "but Issei, Devils are-"

"Evil creatures of Sin, but honestly Irina look at how the Church is acting. Are they any better? Look me in the eyes and tell me there aren't power hungry individuals or corruption in the Church. Well, can you?" frowned the teen.

Irina was silent as she met his gaze before looking at him with a pleading expression, desperate to defend her organization. "But Issei, the Church is the representative of God, preaching His message and protecting His followers. They can't be corrupt," she argued, even as her eyes revealed her doubt in her own message.

"Irina," began Issei with a sad sigh. "I might not be Christian, or even really religious for that matter…but even I know the main message preached by it, the 'Golden Rule.' 'Treat others the way you wish to be treated.' Tell me how abandoning a girl who followed this message is what God wants? The Church failed to protect her and not only that but they excommunicated her and I sincerely doubt that's the first time they abused their authority in the name of God."

The exorcist opened her mouth to voice a counter argument when her eyes came to rest on the disguised Mimic wrapped around her arm, suddenly thoughts of the rarely spoken Holy Sword experiment appeared in her mind. _I sincerely doubt that's the first time the Church abused their authority in the name of God_. Just like that her counterargument dissolved into nothing as a disturbing thought surfaced, 'all those people I killed…were they really heretics? Or just people in the Church's way?'

"But if the Church is corrupt…then what am I supposed to do now? It was everything I knew…" muttered Irina, quietly.

"Simple, just do what you feel is right. Don't let others tell you what's good and evil, or soon you'll find yourself a pawn under someone else's control," lectured Issei.

The exorcist was silent as she stared at her friend in shock before looking up at the sky with a worried expression, "but what if I make mistakes."

"Then learn from them," he replied with a shrug. "No one is perfect Irina, mistakes are bound to happen. We're human after all, in fact our imperfections are our greatest assets."

"What do you mean?" asked Irina, curiously as she turned back to face him.

"Humans are constantly making mistakes but at the same time we are constantly learning from them, learning how not to repeat them again. We're adaptable, something that from what I've seen is lacking in other races," continued the teen.

Irina was silent as she looked down at the floor with a conflicted expression, making Issei sigh as he placed a reassuring arm around her. "Irina do you think God is evil?" he asked, getting a shocked look in response from the exorcist.

"No of course not!" she exclaimed in horror.

"Then why doesn't he answer his follower's prayers?" questioned Issei.

"Well because…he shouldn't have to, the faithful should only need to know that he is watching over them," replied Irina in a soft voice.

"Even when those people are crying out for help? Begging for mercy? Stop parroting what the Church says and tell me how you really feel," countered her friend with raised eyebrows, only to get no response from the exorcist.

Issei then sighed, "do you want to know why I think He doesn't respond?"

Getting a nod from her, the teen continued, "its because He wants us to learn. Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he'll eat for an eternity. It's the same concept here."

"If He just helped us at every opportunity then how would we learn? That's why He doesn't respond, even if it pains Him to do so. He wants you to make mistakes so that you can become a better person because of it," he smiled at her.

"So what should I do?" asked Irina as she turned to face Issei with an expectant expression.

"Try to remember why you originally worshiped God, what was it that drew you to Him in the first place? If you can do that then you can worship Him without the Church to direct you," replied Issei.

"My reason…" murmured the exorcist as she slowly frowned in concentration, only for them both to be distracted by the sound of a familiar childish voice.

"Hey Iri, why do you worship God?" asked the ten year old Issei as he turned to his Irina counterpart.

"What do you mean Ise? Why shouldn't I worship him? He loves us, protects us and all He asks is that we be kind to others," exclaimed the younger Irina as she spun to face the child.

"I worship Him so I can keep preaching His message and helping others, that's why I'm going to be a Hero!" exclaimed young Irina.

"Not if I become one first!" shouted her friend and the two quickly began chasing each other around the park.

"Well it looks like you got your answer," smirked Issei as he nodded his head to their younger counterparts and smiled at Irina.

The exorcist's face gained an amused smile, "I guess it's true what they say, wisdom does often come from the mouths of children."

The exorcist then lay her head on Issei's shoulder as a faint blush crept along both her face, neither of them said a word as the car rose to give them a clear view of the blue sky above them. "Hey Ise?" spoke Irina, softly.

"Hmm?" hummed Issei as he began stroking her head.

"It's good to see you again," she muttered, closing her eyes in bliss and giving silent prayers of thanks to God for this moment.

A soft smile crept along Issei's face, "same here Iri."

Neither of the two said anything as a portal formed in front of their rollercoaster car and the pair relaxed as they were sent through it.

The pair then got out of the rollercoaster car only to see Zelretch missing as they tried to find him, 'that damned troll!' Eventually giving up they headed back into the main festival, Irina hanging off his arm as she dragged him over to stalls. Issei had a happy smile form on his face as he enjoyed one of the rare moments of peace he was being given.

[You're not going to tell her that God is dead, partner?]

'Would she have believed me?' replied Issei as he spotted Irina happily running from stall to stall, the bright smile on her face making him gain a pitying expression. 'Besides look how happy she is. Sometimes Ddriag, ignorance is bliss.'

[If you say so partner, but you know that she'll find out eventually right? Same with the nun.]

'We'll cross that road if we get to it,' sighed the teen.

Their inner conversation was broken as Irina rushed back to Issei holding two toffee apples in her hands, "Ise, look what I won!"

An amused smirk grew on his face, "you sure you want to eat both of those? Can you afford the calories?"

"Are you calling me fat?! Hey get back here!" shouted his childhood friend in indignation as she rushed after the fleeing Issei.

And so the night continued with the pair visiting every stall present and riding every ride before they finally left the festival, lying down on the grassy ground as they took in the beautiful array of colours as the sun began to set in the distance.

"This was the most fun I've had in a long time Ise…and thank you for what you said before, even if the Church is corrupt. I'm sure God is still looking out for us, and I hope I'll make him proud," smiled Irina happily, as she looked up at the fading sunset.

Issei felt his heart wrench as he forced a smile on to his face and nodded, "I'm sure you will Iri…I'm sure you will…"

Indeed, sometimes ignorance really is bliss…

* * *

"Another day, another failed search," sighed Issei, in disappointment.

"Oh don't be so glum Ise, that just means we get to spend more time together," replied Irina with a smile.

"Ha ha I guess that's true," laughed Issei before they both heard a loud voice ringing out over the streets.

"Le Fay, where are you!" called the male voice.

'Le Fay? Wasn't that that girl's name?' he thought, remembering the cheerful blonde girl wearing a witch's hat.

[Careful partner, even though I got Clarent sealed inside Boosted Gear. We still don't know if Mordred can still call it out. Let alone what effect meeting him will have on her, we're trending on thin ice as it is.]

'I know Ddriag, but don't you find it a bit suspicious? I mean a descendant from _that_ family comes to visit our town and shortly after we find out that the stolen Ex-Ex-damn it, the stolen _swords_ are here. It can't be coincidence,' he reasoned.

[I suppose that's true just be careful partner, Mordred's getting more and more restless and much harder to restrain. The fact that you can't turn Clarent back to its card form is proof of that.]

"Irina, call Xenovia and Asia, tell them I think we found something," he ordered, getting a confused nod from his friend as she picked up her phone.

Together the two followed the sound of the voice and found a blonde haired man walking down the other end of the street, although he seemed unarmed Issei had more than enough experience with magic to realize that was probably a rouse. What surprised him however was the low gasp of shock that came from Irina as she caught sight of him.

"You know who that is?" he asked.

Irina nodded with a frown on her face, "we were given data on everything relating to Ex- sorry, those _swords_ , that included members of _that_ family."

The exorcists then shook her head, "but he shouldn't be here. Last the Church knew he had disappeared from the family manor with his sister."

"Could he be the one responsible for the thefts?" questioned Issei as they began tailing the descendant.

"He definitely has the skills to do it, but I can't think of any motivation for him to steal the swords," replied Irina with a frown.

"Maybe he thinks the blades should only belong to him?" suggested Issei, as they ducked into an alleyway as their target turned to face their direction with a frown.

It was only pure chance that Irina spotted the approaching sword as she quickly summoned Mimic to block the strike at Issei's neck, a loud clang resounding throughout the area as the exorcist glared at the surprised face of Kiba Yuuto. The Devil knight frowned as Mimic changed shape and snaked around his sword before cutting him along his dominate arm.

"As expected of you Devils, treachery really is in your nature isn't it," snarled the exorcist as Kiba leapt backwards and stared at his bleeding arm in annoyance, the aura of the holy weapon hurting him from its mere presence.

"Kiba what are you doing?!" exclaimed Issei, even as Clarent appeared unwillingly in his hand.

"Avenging my friends," snarled the Devil as he leveled Holy Eraser at the two of them.

"What are you talking about Kiba? And what the hell is Rias thinking?! Doesn't she know what will happen if Scathach finds out about this?" shouted Issei as he and Irina ducked under Kiba's wild swing.

"Buchou has nothing to do with this, as of this moment I'm a Stray," snarled the Knight, only to block a strike from Mimic as Irina tried to catch him by surprise.

"Oh really, you're a Stray now? Well that means you're no longer under the Gremory's protection aren't you?" smirked the exorcist as she readied Mimic for a killing strike.

"Irina we don't have time for this! I'll deal with Kiba you go after our target!" ordered Issei as he stepped in between Kiba and Irina.

The exorcist frowned as she glared at the Devil before she nodded and rushed out of alleyway after their target, abandoning subtly as she tried to catch up to him.

Kiba just glare at Issei, "this is the day I avenge my friends. Prepare to die, dog of the Pendragon family!"

[Not good.]

Before Issei could react a wave of anger washed over him and he felt his body beginning to move by itself as the teen deflect the Devils thrust and grabbed him by the throat with his free hand. Issei then brought the choking Kiba closer to his face until they were but inches apart.

"What did you just call me? You worthless disgrace of a knight!" he snarled, before throwing the Devil into the wall.

Kiba just roared in anger as he leapt out to the wall and brought Holy Eraser up to the teen's neck, only to see Issei catch the blade in his before bare hands, crushing it in his grasp. "These weak toys are even worse than those disgraces they give my 'father's' blade's name," he replied, as the teen slashed Clarent across the Devil's chest.

Kiba cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground as blood began to leak out of the large gash on his torso, Issei then causally walked over to him. "How pathetic, if you were thinking clearly this might have been more of a challenge," he scoffed as he raised Clarent for a killing blow.

However, before the killing blow could land Issei felt a powerful punch slam into his back and send the teen flying across the alleyway. Issei groaned as he saw Koneko standing between him and the bleeding Kiba in a boxing stance as she glared at him.

"Issei-senpai, please let us deal with this," requested the small girl.

"No I'll make that wannabe knight pay for what he said," growled Issei and Koneko was shocked as she felt magical energy gather in his body before being expelled instantly as the teen rushed towards her.

The former Nekoshou quickly brought her hands up and grabbed Issei's wrists as she tried to hold off Issei, only for Clarent to inch ever closer to her head as the human began to overpower her. The Devil then felt a kick bury itself into her gut before she collapsed to the ground next to the wounded Kiba. Seeing this Issei walked over to the two of them and the Devils' eyes widened as he lifted his sword up in the air and prepared to finish them off.

[Partner, think about what you're doing!]

Hearing Ddriag the teen shook his head as the rage faded away and he slowly came to his senses, 'what am I doing?' Slowly the teen lowered his blade as he saw Kiba finally loose conscious from the blood loss, the teen then sighed as tried to use his jacket as a makeshift bandage and while Koneko got out her phone, already dreading the call to Rias.

After a very frantic and thankful conversation with Rias, Issei then saw a magical circle form in front of him and a panicking Rias stumbled out of it. The Gremory heiress then rushed over to her fallen knight as she began emergency first aid.

"What happened?" she asked in a low voice, hints of a crimson red appearing around her.

"Before you get angry, he attacked us. He shouted something about avenging his friends and then tried to remove my head. In fact you should be grateful, once he said he'd become a Stray Irina wanted to kill him," argued Issei, causing Rias to give a sigh.

"He's telling the truth Buchou," confirmed the bruised Koneko.

"He became a Stray, so that's what that little witch did to him," muttered the Devil.

"Little witch?" repeated Issei.

Rias gained a frown, "some blonde girl who had been hanging around Kiba for the past couple of days. Koneko managed to capture her shortly before Kiba went missing, we've been holding her prisoner ever since."

"This women wouldn't happen to be named Le Fay would she?" asked Issei.

"You know her?" questioned Rias as she rounded on him.

He nodded, "her brother's one of our possible targets, we were tracking him when Kiba suddenly attacked."

"So they are related, Issei we'll have to talk later. I need to get Kiba out of here," informed Rias as a magic circle appeared beneath them.

"Understood, I'll try to smooth things over with Irina and the others. No promises though," replied Issei as he rushed off in the direction that Irina had gone to moments before.

* * *

Arthur frowned as he heard the exorcist reappear behind him, apparently deciding to throw caution to the wind as she rushed after him. He didn't know where the descendant was but the suited him just fine, this way he could use Caliburn freely with needing to worry about it being copied. 'Such a troublesome ability he has, still if he shows up then I'll switch to Ruler. Better he copy that blade then Caliburn, 'looks like I'll be able to fulfil Vali's request after all.'

Still he was surprised at his luck, when he had left to search of Le Fay and Mimic he hadn't expected both Mimic's wielder and the descendant to come looking for him, now all he needed was to find a suitable battlefield away from any witnesses. The descendant left the busy city and headed towards the nearby forest, smiling as he felt the exorcist following close behind him.

Once he was sure there were no witnesses Arthur turned to face his stalker, getting a surprised expression from her as Mimic snaked its way into her hand. Unfortunately, Arthur didn't have time to play with her, and went straight for Caliburn. All Irina saw was the sword glow with light before something hit her head and everything turned black.

* * *

Issei frowned as he walked around lost, trying to find where Irina had one when he felt Clarent in his hand start to grow burning hot. The teen looked down and saw the sword glowing a bloody red, before his body once again began moving by itself as it rushed off into the nearby forest.

After a couple of minutes later and Issei found himself staring the blonde man in glasses they had been tracking earlier and he tightened the grip on his sword as he saw the man grab Mimic off Irina's unconscious body and turn to face him.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Issei, my name is Arthur Pendragon," announced Arthur, causing Issei to freeze as his last chocolate brown eye turned bright green before a familiar helm materialized over his face.

[Oh shit. Partner, snap out of it!]

"What did you just say? You dare to take my father's name as your own! You weak, filthy, pathetic, Poser!" snarled Issei in a strangely genderless voice.

"That helm…no that's not possible," gasped Arthur before he quickly brought his sword up to block the strike at his neck.

Caliburn and Clarent created a shower of sparks as they clashed for the first time in centuries and Arthur stumbled at the unexpected force of the blow, his feet digging into the ground as he struggled to hold his ground. The descendant then deflected the blade away from his, only to feel a fist slam into his gut as he flinched and spun the sword in his grip to deflect another slash at his legs.

Arthur then backed away from his opponent as he warily tried to gauge the teen's strength only to frown as he found himself unable to, usually he could determine how strong someone was from the way they fought but this was different. It was as if something was stopping him from determining Issei's abilities, the best he could do was take a rough estimate based on simple trial and error.

Suddenly the descendant had to duck as Issei _threw_ his sword at him, knocking Caliburn from his grasp from both the surprise and strength of the blow as he hurriedly blocked the makeshift missile. Clarent sliced a tree in half as it passed through the unfortunate plant while Caliburn buried itself up to the hilt into the earth, Arthur then frowned as he withdrew Excalibur Ruler to meet the charging Issei.

"By the authority of the King, I command you to be still!" ordered Arthur as Ruler began glowing and Issei froze in mid-step.

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to retrieve Caliburn, only to hear Issei roar in frustration and turned to see the teen's body trembling as it struggled to break the power binding it. The descendant watch in shock as he saw a faint white glow surround Issei before the teen rushed towards Arthur, Ruler's effects apparently negated as the descendant brought the blade up to stab Issei in the heart.

Issei just grabbed the blade with his bare hands, blood dripping down his hands as the teen began to squeeze. "You dare to use _his_ name and then insult me with this toy!" he snarled in fury as a loud metallic groan echoed throughout the battlefield.

Arthur's eyes widened as he saw minute cracks appear along Ruler's length before he retreated, Ruler cutting open Issei's palm as it passed through his clenched hand. Any normal person would have screamed in pain as their hand was cut open, but in his current stated Issei was anything but normal, rage was a hell of an anesthetic after all.

Arthur watched as the teen looked at his bloody hand before he disappeared in a burst of movement again and this time Arthur could have sworn he felt magical energy from the teen's limbs. Issei then reappeared beside Clarent before picking up the broadsword with one hand and rushing towards Arthur, Ruler cracking further as it blocked blow after blow from Clarent.

Arthur grunted as he was forced back, "by the authority of the King, I command you to bind him!"

Suddenly roots erupted from the ground before wrapping themselves around the struggling teen as they forced him back to the dirt. Issei just struggled to stand as he cut root after root and Arthur frowned as he looked up at the growing storm clouds in the sky and smiled.

Ruler glowed as he pointed it towards the sky, "by the authority of the King, I command you to strike him down!"

Faster than eye could see a bolt of lightning rushed towards the teen, whom again used his odd speed technique to dodge to the side as the spot he just vacated became a smoking crater. The teen continued to dodge bolts of lightning that rained down all around him as he continued to close the distance between the two fighters.

Arthur frowned as he was forced back into close quarters with Issei before the teen roared in fury and swung Clarent in an overhead strike, once again meeting the cracking form of Ruler as the blade desperately tried to maintain its ground against the Royal Sword.

[Partner, you have to snap out of it! This isn't you!]

As the swords clashed Issei kneed his opponent in the gut before clenching his bloodied hand into a fist and slamming it into Arthur's face, knocking the glasses off his face as the descendant fell to the earth. Kicking Ruler from his hand Issei gave the descendant a snort of disgust before walking over to the still buried Caliburn, his body shivering with anticipation.

"Finally I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," murmured Issei as his hand wrapped around the hilt of the Sword of Appointment.

[No you haven't partner! That's Mordred talking, you need to stop!]

The teen ignored the dragon as he gleefully tried to pull the sword out of the earth, only to find it refusing to budge. Growling Issei dropped Clarent as he attempted to pull with all his might, but like before the sword didn't even move an inch.

"Don't bother, Caliburn will never accept someone like you as its wielder, Mordred Pendragon," coughed out Arthur in a weak voice as he regained consciousness.

"No! It has to! IT HAS TO ACCPET ME! I FOUGHT THE GRAIL WAR FOR THIS CHANCE! I CANNOT FAIL! I HAVE TO PROVE FATHER WRONG!" shouted Issei as he began pulling on the blade more frantically.

Arthur slowly got to his feet as he picked up Ruler, "you are not worthy Mordred, you never were and never will be worthy to be King!"

"YOU'RE LYING! I AM WORTHY!" denied Issei, as the image of his 'father' was superimposed over Arthur's.

Arthur then slammed the flat end of his blade into Issei's helmet, causing the teen to collapse to the ground before he curled up on the ground in the fetal position. "Was father right? Was I really nothing but a worthless homunculus? A bastard child? A disgrace?" he began muttering, getting a confused expression from Arthur, whom easily lifted Caliburn out of the ground.

[I swear Mordred, Caliburn will be the least of your worries once I'm done with you. Let my partner go NOW!]

Issei blinked as Boosted Gear appeared on his arm before Clarent glowed and transformed back into the Saber card and the helm disappeared, and just as quickly, the overwhelming sadness that had filled him disappeared along with Arthur's image returning to normal. Issei looked up to see Arthur placing Caliburn at his throat, the descendant looking both confused and angry at what had just happened.

"Now Mordred, if you want to live you'll tell me where my sister is," demanded Arthur, only for Issei to frown at him.

However, before either of them could say anything Arthur instantly leapt to the side as Xenovia appeared with her sword swinging towards Arthur. The descendant blocked with Caliburn only to struggle to hold back Durandal in his weakened state, and was knocked back a few feet from the blow.

"So you're the thief, I never expected it to be a member of the Pendragon family, now hand over Mimic, Ruler and every other Excalibur fragments you have," growled Xenovia as Asia rushed over to the wounded Issei and began healing him.

"As much as I'd like to test my blade against Durandal I'm afraid I'm in no condition to do so, so I shall take my leave," replied Arthur as he slashed Caliburn down and a portal formed.

Xenovia just gritted her teeth in frustration as she saw her target disappear into the portal before the portal closed and she turned to examine Issei and Irina, her eyes widening as she saw the red gauntlet on his arm.

"Thanks for the save Xenovia," said Issei as the Boosted Gear disappeared on his arm.

"It's fine, I just wish we hadn't lost Mimic, now we have no way to draw him out. Let alone know what his plan is," sighed the exorcist.

"Actually that's not true, we still have one thing. Let's go see Rias and the others tomorrow, they have more leads for us to follow. Plus I want to know why Kiba attacked me," frowned Issei. "At the very least we can be thankful Scathach's away for a couple of days, God only knows what she'd do to them if she found out."

As they recovered and headed back to the house to plan their next move, none of the group noticed the two archers that had been watching them the entire time. The white haired female turned to her companion and frowned as she saw his expression.

"What are you thinking Apollo?" she asked.

Her brother smiled, "they're exhausted, unsure of who to trust and best of all the Godslayer is away. This is the perfect time to strike. I'll keep an eye on the Devils, you go and collect the descendant."

"And the exorcists?" questioned Artemis with a frown.

"We'll have to kill them, we can't have witnesses here. The Church will likely blame the Devils or the thieves anyway, just be careful of Durandal," warned Apollo.

Artemis sighed, "very well let's hope we can finish this before the Godslayer comes back."

"Happy hunting, sister," smirked Apollo as he rushed towards the Devil's gathering area.

* * *

Morrigan sighed as she was forced to listen to the idle prattle of the other Celtic deities, honestly at this rate she was actually hoping Scathach would show up. It would certainly give her more entertainment then listening to the barely concealed insults and dirty looks directed at her.

"Hello mother, how was your vacation? Do I have any half siblings that I need to be introduced to?" questioned an amused female voice.

The Death Goddess just shook her head in exasperation, "Brighid, you've been listening to Lugh again haven't you?"

The Goddess of Healing, smiled as she walked over to her mother, her red hair flowing with the wind along with her matching red dress and brown shoal. Morrigan gained a happy smile, there was still one thing good about these meetings that made it worth suffering through this abuse.

Brighid gained sad expression as the two walked into the meeting room, "I heard father came to see you after you arrived back…and that a fight broke out."

"That damned Sun God!" whispered Morrigan, silently cursing Lugh for mentioning that to her daughter before she put a clam façade over her face. "Your father was as courteous as usual, Brighid. Do not listen to such lies and rumors."

"I see," muttered the Goddess of Healing sadly, causing Morrigan to sigh as she watched her daughter leave for her seat next to Dagda.

The Death Goddess then moved to her isolated corner of the meeting room, only to hear someone sit down next to her. "Family problems?" asked Lugh.

"Indeed, no thanks to you Lugh!" she spat angrily.

The Sun God just raised a hand in surrender, "hey it wasn't my fault, I was drunk at the time she visited."

"You're always drunk," pointed out Morrigan with a frown as she stared at the mug of ale in his hand. "So any idea what Dagda wants to discuss this time?"

"The usual I'd imagine, but we'll have to inform them about Scathach and Issei forming their own faction under this 'mysterious Sekiryuutei.' The fact that the Godslayer would join any faction at all is enough to make everyone worried after all, remember the war?" muttered Lugh.

"She did have quite the body count didn't she?" agreed the Death Goddess as a smile spread across her face.

Upon seeing this Lugh swallowed fearfully, "I know that look anywhere Morrigan…what have you done?"

The smile on her face widened, "Scathach was telling me earlier how she wanted more protection for her faction and so I mentioned this meeting's time and location, as well as gave her an invitation to join."

Lugh just dropped his mug as he stared at the Goddess of Death in horror, "Morrigan you didn't…by the Gods are you insane!"

Morrigan said nothing and kept her gaze on the door with a smile on her face, while Lugh looked at the surrounding Gods with worry. 'Maybe Scathach won't come, she has to know that half the Gods here want her head after all. Oh who am I kidding she'd probably see it as some extra fun,' sighed the Sun God.

The first half of the meeting went as planned before they heard a knock on the door, bringing a confused look to everyone's but Lugh and Morrigan's faces. Fodla, the Goddess of Ireland, was the one who got up to answer the door only for an expression of horror to cross her face as she slammed the door shut before locking and barricading it.

No one said a word as the stared at the Goddess in shock before they saw a dreadfully familiar red spear stab through the door, Fodla just backed away from the door as it was broken down. "Oi Dadga, your hospitality could use a bit of work," commented Scathach as she walked in and saw shocked and horrified expressions on everyone's faces.

"Scathach, what are you doing here?" growled the leader of the Celts.

"Oh, I invited her Dagda," announced Morrigan, struggling to keep an amused smirk off her face.

There was silence as the Celts all turned to Morrigan in shock while Dagda's eye began twitching. "Did you now? Tell me Morrigan, why did you do that?" he gritted out the clenched teeth.

"Oh don't be like that Dagda, Morrigan and I tell each other everything. We're quite close these days," smirked the Godslayer, her unspoken message causing everyone to frown as they tried to figure out how Morrigan had got in Scathach's favor.

"I see, then why are you here Scathach?" questioned Dagda.

"I wanted to make you all an offer," replied the Immortal Witch.

"And what's that?" asked the leader of the Celts with an intrigued expression, even as most of the other Gods began edging towards the exit.

"Simple, first I want you to officially acknowledge that the Land of Shadows belongs to me and my faction, no one else," stated the witch.

"That won't be too big of an issue no one goes there anymore thanks to you anyway," answered the leader of the Celts.

"Next I want free passage for me and my faction around the Otherworld," continued the witch.

"That will not be so easy to grant Scathach, besides what will you offer us in exchange?" replied Dagda with a frown.

The Godslayer gained a dark smile, "you mean aside from you all leaving here alive? Well I've been given authority by my faction's leader to make a mutual defense treaty."

"Which means what?" asked the God of Life curiously.

"If either of us is attacked then the other will come to their aid," explained Scathach, relishing the shocked silence coming from her audience.

"Dadga you cannot be seriously considering this! She killed Danu! She can't be trusted!" cried Luchta, shock as they saw the leader of the Celts adopt an intrigued expression.

Scathach smiled as she played her trump card, "if the Formorians really are returning then you'll need all the help you can get Dagda."

The God of Life took a deep breath as he replied, "this is a big decision you want me to make Scathach, I will need some time to ponder it."

The Godslayer shrugged before she dismissed Gae Bolg and headed for the door, "have Morrigan inform me once you've made your decision."

The collective Celtic deities all let out a breath they didn't know they were holding as they watched Scathach leave. "So Morrigan are you happy?" sighed Lugh as everyone turned to face them.

"At least no one was killed," shrugged the Goddess.

"Morrigan, Lugh, when we you planning to tell us that Scathach had joined a faction?" asked Dagda with an expectant expression.

"We were going to after the current meeting's topics had been discussed," answered Lugh with a sigh.

"I think they can be put on the waiting list for now, just what has happened out there we've been residing in the Otherworld?" frowned Fodla.

Morrigan just shrugged, "the world's changed and not even Scathach can fight that. If you would stop isolating yourselves you might have noticed that."

"Which is why you two are going to tell us everything that has happened, Scathach wouldn't do this on a whim. Something has her spooked and anything that can make the Godslayer worried is something we need be fearful of," announced Dagda.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, I not only failed to take him down but I lost Mimic to him as well," cried Irina as they walked into Issei's house.

"Don't worry about it Irina, Xenovia and I'll still take him down. I already have an idea forming but it means we'll need to get Rias' help," replied Issei.

"I loathe that we need their help for this, but I suppose it's a necessary evil," grumbled Xenovia.

"What about Asia and I?" questioned Irina.

"Don't know, the plan is pretty much a work in progress after all," replied Issei with a shrug as he collapsed onto the couch. "Irina, Asia, you two can have the beds. Xenovia, unfortunately you'll have to settle for a futon. Is that alright?"

"That shall be fine," replied the blue haired exorcist with a nod.

"Alright, night guys. We'll head over to the ORC in the morning," yawned Issei as the trio nodded in agreement.

However, just as they were about to go sleep they all heard a loud bang before the building began shaking, purple runes glowing along the walls as the Boundary Field activated. There was another bang followed by the house shaking again as they four of them saw cracks appearing on the living room wall.

"Irina, Asia go and get my dad. Make sure he's okay!" ordered Issei, getting nods from the two girls in question as they rushed upstairs.

Meanwhile Xenovia summoned Durandal again as she and Issei overturned a table and crouched behind it. "Are you going to use Boosted Gear?" asked the blue haired exorcist, making his eyes widen.

"So you saw that huh? Well in that case, you ready Ddriag?" he smirked as the red gauntlet appeared over his arm.

 **[Ready as always partner.]**

"Alright once that wall is blown open I want you to charge in and distract them until I get close, then we'll give Arthur a big surprise," ordered Issei with a grin.

"Understood," replied Xenovia with a nod.

 **[BOOST!]**

Suddenly light flooded into the room as the wall was blown apart and Xenovia immediately leapt over the table, only for an arrow to strike her arm while she was still in the air. The exorcist cried out in pain as she crumbled to the ground, Durandal falling from her hand as it hit the floor with a loud clang.

"Well that takes care of one problem," said a female voice. "I know you're there boy, come on out or I'll kill your friend here."

Issei just gritted his teeth in frustration as he rose from behind the table and saw a woman with long white, a long white dress the turned to a shade of orange at the ends and a large white bow held in her hands.

[Not good partner, you need to run now! That's Artemis!]

"Xenovia, get out of here now! I'll take care of her!" ordered Issei.

"Understood," replied the exorcist as she stood back up and grabbed Durandal, one arm hanging limply by the side as the arrow was still embedded in it.

As the exorcist passed him she whispered, "just hold out until Asia heals me. I'll come back to help after that."

"No," replied Issei in an equally soft whisper. "Once you're healed I want you to grab my dad and for all of you to head to the attic. Asia knows the rune you need to use, I want you all to go to the Land of Shadows. Do you understand?"

"I can be more help fighting then on guard duty," she replied with a bit of heat.

"Not against her, that's the Greek Goddess Artemis. You'd be a hindrance more than a help," he informed her, making the exorcist freeze.

"If that's true then what hope do you have?" she frowned.

"I have a better one than you do, or are you forgetting who has a Longinus here? Besides I don't need to beat her, just hold her off, understand?" answered Issei.

Xenovia was silent before she nodded, "if I see _her_ I'll let her know what's going on. Good luck."

A soft chuckle escaped him, "Luck? Who needs it? A true hero makes their own luck."

Xenovia said nothing before she nodded and ran upstairs, leaving Issei and Artemis to stare at each other before the Goddess sighed. "You seem to care for your friends, it's a shame I'll have to kill them," she muttered.

 **[BOOST!]**

"Just come and try it!" growled Issei.

The Greek just shook her head, "please don't blame me for what I'm about to do, if you want something to blame then place it on that fake you're friends with."

"Fake?" repeated Issei.

Artemis gained a dark expression as she snarled, "that so called descendant of our champion Atalanta! The very notion is preposterous! She was the Chaste Huntress! She had no children! Let alone any with non-humans! That Faker has insulted us and the memory of our champion, and now we'll claim our vengeance, starting with you."

"When Scathach gets back, she'll have your head," pointed out Issei.

"Not if she doesn't know who's responsible, speaking of which," muttered the Goddess as she pointed a glowing arrow up to the upper floor.

Issei watched as the glowing projectile hit the ceiling before four bodies came falling down through the hole in the floor. The teen's eyes widened as he saw the unmoving forms of Asia, Xenovia, Irina and his dad, laying across the floor.

"Now for the final touch," said the Goddess as she pointed her arrow up to the roof again, intending to crush the four helpless victims under its weight.

'No he wouldn't let her do this! He had to protect them! Damn it!' he growled as a familiar burning rage began to fill his body. The teen rushed towards the falling debris even as he grabbed a card from his holder, 'please I need your help Herakles!'

" **INCLUDE BERSERKER!** "

* * *

Lancer hissed as Caster began healing his wounds from their attempts to subdue Saber, "she's definitely her father's kid that's for sure."

"Let's just be glad she had that mental breakdown, I doubt even Ddriag could have subdued her easily without it," agreed Tamamo as they turned to the Saber doorway.

"True, nonetheless I doubt she will be able to fight anytime soon in that mental condition. We have lost a powerful fighting force," replied Atalanta.

The three were then silent until Archer suddenly leapt to her feet, "this power…oh no. It's…it's her!"

Suddenly the all saw the female figure through Issei's eyes and the colour drained from the huntress' face, "Artemis…"

"Artemis!" cried Lancer and Caster in shock.

 **[Not good partner, you need to run now! That's Artemis!]**

"What do we do? Archer, who would be the best match for her and can they beat her?" questioned Lancer as they all turned to face the huntress.

Atalanta was silent before she sighed, "there is one of us who could beat her."

"Who?" replied Lancer.

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅" came a loud roar and everyone turned to the Berserker doorway in fear and shock as the giant grey giant emerged from within it and glare at the image of Artemis.

"Never mind, I think I figured it out," muttered the Celt.

* * *

Artemis frowned as she saw the debris that were supposed to collapse on the helpless humans get tossed aside by Issei. "Try all you want, as long as the moon is in the sky you cannot win," smirked Artemis, only for her expression to change as she saw the teen slowly get to his feet, his Rune necklace glowing with a blinding purple light as a massive axe-sword materialized in his hand.

Suddenly the Greek heard a loud clap of thunder and turned to see the bright full moon in the sky begin to be covered by furious storm clouds, lightning striking all around her as if in a fit of rage. " **You hurt my family** , **that was a mistake** " growled a low voice.

She turned back to see Issei clenching and unclenching his fist as blobs of grey patches appeared on his skin before the human glared up at the Goddess. " **Ready Berserker? Together you and I, are going to beat some sense into your sister** ," he said as Artemis stared at him with a shocked expression.

Artemis took a quick step back as her instinct began screaming warnings at her and she was frowned as the human glared up at her before rushing the Goddess, whom fired a burst of nine arrows at the teen. However, Issei didn't stop his advance and instead continued on a direct course to the Goddess before he brought his axe-sword up to meet the incoming projectiles.

" **Nine Lives: The Shooting of the Hundred Heads!** " shouted the teen and suddenly faster than any other than Artemis could track, the barrage of arrows were knocked aside by high-speed sword strikes as the teen continued on course.

Eyes widen at the sudden speed the teen was now displaying Artemis ducked under the axe-sword swing at her neck before backtracking to gain distance from the human as she continued to rain arrows down on him. 'He has greatly increased his power, is it the Rune necklace? It did activate before he began fighting like this, in that case if I destroy his necklace then I win,' she decided, loading another arrow into her bow.

She then stopped moving and took careful aim at her target, after all if she missed the chances were that she would hit his heart, and Amaterasu did want him alive. Releasing the arrow she smiled as it impacted the rune necklace, shattering it on impact. Only for a shocked expression to appear on her face as she felt it, the _Divinity_ emanating off the teen. "H-Herakles?" gasped Artemis.

* * *

Zeus froze as he felt it, it was unmistakable, the power that was had suddenly appeared in Shinto territory. It was weaker then what he remembered, perhaps equal to when he had still been a demi-god but this power was no fake, there was only one person who could have it. "My son," muttered the God even as small tears of joy ran down his face.

"Zeus? Are you crying?!" exclaimed Poseidon in shock.

The leader of Greeks turned to his brother with a smile, "can't you fell it brother? My son has returned."

The Greek God of the Sea's eyes widened before he frowned, "Zeus, remember what Amaterasu said."

"I know my own son Poseidon, this is no fake," growled the God of Thunder.

"Now to gather everyone and inform them of the good news," cheered Zeus, happily only to freeze at his brother's next words.

"Let's hope the others believe you, especially the twins. They were pretty close to him after his ascension to Godhood," sighed Poseidon.

"Apollo and Artemis…where are they?" questioned Zeus, a cold feeling spreading across his body as his brother shot him a confused look.

"They're helping out Amaterasu with something. Didn't they tell you?" asked the God of the Sea.

"Send them a message immediately! Tell them I want them back at Olympus now!" shouted the Thunder God frantically.

Hearing his worried tone Poseidon nodded and ran off, meanwhile Zeus frowned in concern as storm clouds grew above him.

* * *

"This power…You…How dare you use my brother's strength! I'll kill you where you stand HUMAN!" snarled the Goddess as she shot a rapid burst of arrows towards the human, her aim of capturing Issei apparently forgotten in her rage.

Issei quickly leapt to the side as the barrage hit the spot he'd been moments before, his Eye of Mind instinctively knowing that those attacks would pierce his weakened God's Hand. If Artemis was surprised by his new sudden agility, she hid it well as the Goddess growled angrily before leaping out of the building and onto the roof of one of the surrounding houses.

"The Goddess of the Hunt has found her prey, now come to me, those who were gifted to me by the god Pan. The time to hunt has arrived, **Hunting Pack of Artemis**!" she called and suddenly the ground between the two fighters had a blue mist form around it before the sounds of barking and howls were heard.

Issei gripped his axe-sword tightly as the mist cleared and he saw seven of the largest wolves he'd ever seen easily reaching half his house in height now standing in between him and the Goddess. "You dare to imitate Herakles then so be it. Be prepared human you're about to face your own set of Labors," growled Artemis, the thunder and lightning still crackling behind her even as the moon once again began to poke out of the clouds and bathed the Goddess in its light.

Without further warning, the seven wolves howled before they charged at Issei and the teen instantly ran out of the house and into the streets, trying to lead the beasts away from his injured friends and family. Sure enough, the wolves were hot on his tail with the Goddess following close behind as she continued to pelt the teen with arrows. It was then that Issei realized why Atalanta held Artemis in such high regard; even as she was running along the rooftops after him the accuracy of the Goddess was incredible, he felt numerous arrows pierce his skin as his back began to resemble a hedgehog.

Even so Issei kept running as he felt yet another arrow hit disturbingly close to his heart and the teen tasted blood in his mouth, he was desperate to lead the enraged Goddess out of Kuoh. He didn't want it to become the new Calydon after all.

[Partner, your body can't take much more abuse! We have to escape! NOW!]

'You and I know that's not going to happen Ddriag, there's no way I can escape the Goddess of Hunting especially with those hounds of her's,' replied Issei as his instincts warned him of an incoming arrow at his head and he deflected it with his axe-sword.

[Partner you cannot be seriously considering fighting her can you?]

'We don't have a choice Ddriag, we can't hide or outrun her so the only thing we can do is fight,' replied Issei as they finally reached the outskirts of the city. There was silence from the dragon before Issei heard a loud sigh in his mind followed by the dragon's voice.

[Be careful partner, even though Longinus' are called God Killers…no one has yet been able to live up to that reputation.]

'There's a first time for everything Ddriag, besides it's not just me and you fighting against her," replied Issei as he glanced at the axe-sword in his hand, feeling its comforting weight in his hand. The teen then stopped running as he quickly turned around just in time to cleave one of the gigantic hunting wolves in half as it leapt towards his throat, the animal's body quickly evaporating into a blue mist.

Upon seeing this both Artemis and her remaining six wolves skidded to a stop, the beasts then surrounded him as Artemis readied another arrow. "Given up on running human?" she smirked in apparent victory, only for the smirk to drop as Issei started laughing.

" **You're forgetting one of the Golden Rules of hunting Artemis** ," chuckled the human, even as he continued coughing up blood.

"And what's that?" scoffed the Goddess.

" **A wounded animal is twice as dangerous** ," smirked Issei before he roared a battle cry and charged the pack of wolves.

* * *

Scathach smiled as she stepped out of the glowing purple portal and set foot into Issei's attic, only for her smile to instantly drop as the boundary field she'd placed around the house bombarded the witch with information. Without a word Scathach immediately summoned Gae Bolg and rushed out of the attic, jumping through the floor boards into the wrecked living room.

"What happened here?" gasped the Godslayer as she saw the damaged building, and stared at the giant hole in the wall with horror.

'This shouldn't be possible! I reinforced the house myself! Those Runes should have protected this building from a damned army!' frowned the witch, before she heard the sound of soft coughing coming from nearby.

Scathach immediately spun around and leveled her spear in the direction of the sound, only to see a large amount of rubble shifting slightly as a small scrap of familiar white cloth became visible. Eyes widening in horror the witch rushed over the pile of rubble and saw the injured forms of the exorcists as well as Asia and Issei's father.

"Someone is going to pay for this, I swear it," hissed the witch in a cold voice as she began administering to the four wounded humans.

After a couple of minutes Xenovia began to stir and saw the Godslayer staring down at her with an angry expression, "what happened?"

* * *

Issei rolled to the side as one of the wolves leapt towards him before grabbing the wolf mid-roll and throwing it against a large tree, snapping the unfortunate plant in two like a twig. For any normal animal that would have been an instant kill but these wolves were no ordinary animals, they were Divine Beasts conjured by a Goddess herself. And so the wolf in question merely got to its feet and shook its head before rejoining the fighting, leaping towards the teen's neck from behind.

Eye of Mind was the only reason the teen survived as his sixth sense instantly gave a loud warning and he spun around just in time to place his arm in between the enormous jaw of the Divine Beast and his own throat. Issei flinched as he felt the fangs of the wolf again pierce his skin, his weakened version of God's Hand near useless at this point.

Using his distraction Artemis fired her readied arrow into the melee and Issei cried out again as an arrow nailed him in his axe-sword wielding hand, causing the teen to drop his weapon as pain rushed up from his hand. Even so the teen kept fighting as he grabbed the wolf still biting his hand and used it as a shield as the Goddess fired another arrow at him.

The wolf gave a painful yelp before it grew still, an arrow embedded in its head as smoky blue wisps escaped its body, causing Issei to drop the carcass as it dissolved into blue mist. The teen then picked up his axe-sword with his uninjured hand and turned to glare at the Goddess.

Artemis just frowned as she took in his broken and battered body, 'how is he still able to stand? No human should be able to survive injures like those, let alone continue fighting. Is he really human?' Before the Goddess could ponder this further Issei suddenly leapt towards her, ignoring the numerous wolves that leapt to her defense as he continued on course.

" **Is this the best you've got Artemis, Orion would be so disappointed in you** ," sighed Issei in fake disappointment he dodged the beasts.

Instantly the Goddess stopped moving as her eyes widened before she began trembling in rage, "you dare to mention him…you're dead HUMAN!"

Suddenly the wolves backed off at the Goddess' unspoken command as she glared at Issei's wounded body, "you wish to belittle my relationship with him, then so be it. You shall perish by the power of it!"

The extremely wounded Issei just smiled smugly, further infuriating the Goddess as her bow began to glow a bright white light, seemingly absorbing the light from the full moon as it continued growing. " **Tri-star Amore Mio** ," snarled Artemis as she leapt into the air with the moon glowing behind her and fired the glowing white projectile from her bow.

Issei briefly felt pain flood his body before his torso was literally blown apart as the Goddess' attack hit, killing him in an instant. Artemis merely snorted as she glared down at the teen's dead body before she sighed and shook her head, "Amaterasu won't be happy, she wanted him alive."

However, before she could so much as blink a powerful kick hit her in the stomach and sent her careening into a nearby tree. In the space it took her to look up all six of her remaining wolves had evaporated into blue mist with red spears stabbing where they had been moments before, while a purple clad woman was standing over Issei's dead body.

Ever so slowly the women turned around to face the Goddess and Artemis saw unbridled rage in the woman's eyes, even as tears began to scroll down her face. "You…you killed him…you killed Issei. I, Scathach the Immortal Witch, swear to Gods, Old and New, that I will **kill you** ," snarled the woman as two red spears materialized in her hands.

And suddenly Artemis felt like she had made a big mistake…

* * *

"So you're Artemis huh? Well are you ready for death, Moon Goddess?" growled Scathach before the two spears in her hands turned into red beams that pierce Artemis' gut.

Scathach gave a cold smile as she saw the horrified expression appear on her prey's face as she realized she had been immobilized. The Godslayer then summoned Gae Bolg as she slowly approached the Goddess, her smile growing wider with each step.

"You know usually I would just use Gae Bolg to finish you off, a nice quick death…but I have a better idea for you," smirked the witch as she placed Gae Bolg over the naked flesh of the Goddess' face.

Artemis cried out in pain as she felt Gae Bolg's tip lightly pierce her skin, "I always wanted to know what would happen if I carved a rune into a person's flesh. Would it be more effective on that person? Last longer? Require less energy? Let's find out shall we?"

Artemis would have shivered if she wasn't immobilized from the smile now wide on the witch's face, "in fact I know exactly what Rune I'll use to kill you. Tell me how does having your body ripped apart from the inside out feel?"

However, before the Godslayer could begin her grisly work she had to remove Gae Bolg as well as summon another spear as a swarm of arrows came flying towards her. Scathach defected the oncoming attacks with ease but the shooter had merely used the attack as a distraction he rushed towards Artemis and quickly removed the spears from the Moon Goddess.

Now freed, Artemis gave her brother a grateful nod as the pair backed away from the witch whom just glared at them with burning rage. "So you're Apollo, that was brave of you boy. It would seem that you wish to end up like your predecessor," snarled the Godslayer.

"So it was you who killed Helios," frowned Apollo as he and Artemis continued backing away.

"Daddy didn't tell you?" scoffed Scathach, before summoning spears around her and launching them at the pair, whom dived to the side as they returned fired with their bows.

Scathach deflected the arrows sent at her by the two of them as the Sun God and his sister retreated into the forest, trying to escape from the Godslayer's wrath. The witch just snarled before she picked up a rock and drew a Rune of Searching on it, picturing Artemis in her head with no small amount of rage.

As soon as she had finished Scathach threw the rock onto the ground and saw it rushing off after her prey, easily tracking them as their attempts to cover their tracks proved fruitless thanks to her rune. Suddenly her rune stone shattered as an arrow pieced it and Scathach skidded to a halt as a second projectile came soaring at her head.

Showcasing her speed and reflexes, the witch spun around and caught the incoming arrow with her hand before looking at the direction it had come from and disappearing in a blur of movement. Artemis could only just track the witch's progress as she cried out in pain, looking at her shoulder she saw her own arrow embedded in it.

"Hind and seek isn't my favourite game, but I'm not too bad at it," commented the witch as Artemis looked above her and saw Scathach with an array of spears hovering around her.

The next thing she saw was Scathach appear in front of her before the witch smashed Artemis' head into the ground repeatedly, followed by the feeling of blood dripping down her face as everything turned dark. Snorting in disappointment Scathach grabbed Artemis by her long, now blood soaked hair, and dragged the unconscious Goddess out of the forest before dropping her in the middle of a clearing.

"Apollo, I know you can hear me! Save me the trouble of hunting you down and reveal yourself, if you don't then you'll be forced to watch as I slowly kill your sister in front of you!" shouted Scathach as she walked over to Artemis with Gae Bolg now glowing hungrily.

"Scathach!" roared Apollo in rage as he emerged from the forest, the plants around him withering and dying as he approached.

"Oh scary," taunted the Godslayer as she approached him. "Do you know why others, Gods in particular, find me so terrifying?"

"It's because I force them to comprehend something they've never wanted to comprehend. I force them to comprehend the concept of an end, of oblivion, no one is safe from me. Do you know what they called me during the Great War, Apollo? I was known as…Death. Tell me, Apollo. Can you see it? The death of you and your sister by my hands," growled Scathach as Gae Bolg became a mass of swirling energy.

"You Immortals are all the same, you keep deluding yourself into thinking that you're unbeatable. That you can beat death, but you can't can you Apollo? Death is patient, Death is always lurking in the shadows just waiting for a single misstep, Death cannot be cheated," informed the witch as Apollo felt his blood turn to ice in his veins.

'She's…she's a monster! I…I'm going to die!' panicked as the Sun God felt a warm liquid run down his leg and he fell to the ground, the shadows cast by Death's spear dancing around him as if in some sort of ritual.

"What will you do Apollo? What will you do now that Death has come for you?" announced the Godslayer, even as a low shudder escaped Apollo.

The witch suddenly spun around and deflected an arrow being shot at her from Artemis whom had just regained consciousness, her brother quickly following suite as he launched his own desperate barrage at her. The Godslayer became a red blur as her spears intercepted and deflected every single projectile coming towards her, eventually the two Gods had to stop as they realized that the current strategy was getting them nowhere.

Apollo just snarled as the plants surrounding him began dying at an ever-growing radius, noticing this Scathach frowned as she launched a barrage of spears towards the Sun God before using the spears themselves as stepping-stones as she crossed the field of death and closed the distance from her target. Eyes widening in shock Apollo brought his bow up to block the spear sailing towards his head, only to growl in frustration as the spear cut his magical bowstring easily as it was deflected away.

Grabbing the witch's foot he tried to drag her onto the ground where all the dead plants were but was instead greeted to a slash along his arm, as she dived away from him and rounded to attack the still reeling Artemis. However, before she could begin her assault something landed in between the fighters and Scathach heard a familiar voice.

" **Note to self, Scathach is scary when serious** ," commented Issei as everyone stared at him in shock.

* * *

"Issei, you're alive?" gasped Scathach as everyone stared at him in shock.

The human just smiled, " **I sure hope so, or that means we're all dead**."

"But how? People die when they are killed!" exclaimed Artemis, only for her brother to eye Issei cautiously, noticing patches of grey skin appearing over the teen's body.

"Sister, are you sure you killed him?" he asked Artemis with a frown.

The Moon Goddess just nodded, "I'm positive, I hit him at near point blank range with Tri-star Amore Mio."

Apollo was silent for a couple of seconds before he walked over to Issei, "how? How do you have Herakles' God's Hand?"

"Apollo, you're not serious?" gasped Artemis, even as Scathach stared at Issei in shock.

" **Does it matter?** " replied Issei, dodging the question.

"I suppose not," agreed Apollo as he readied another arrow and dived to the side, avoiding Scathach's barrage of spears.

"Issei get out of here, I can take these two," she growled, eyeing the two Gods viciously.

" **No Scathach, we need them alive** ," he informed her with a shake of his head.

There was no visible reaction to his orders aside from the witch tightening her grip on the two spears in her hands. "Issei they just tried to kill you," she pointed out.

Issei nodded, " **yeah and I want to know why. Plus you know the consequences if we kill them, we can imprison them in the Land of Shadows until they talk**."

"Fine, I suppose the Celts could use this to our advantage. Not even Dagda would let an attack on a member of our faction slide easily, doubly so if it's a descendant from Lugh's son," agreed the witch.

"Are you really taking orders from this weak human Scathach? How the mighty have fallen," smirked Artemis, only for her smile to drop and a shiver to run down her spine at the glare she got from the witch.

"Issei just saved your lives fools, now be silent or I might change my mind," snarled the Godslayer as she sent barrage of spears towards the Goddess, only for the spears to be knocked off course by a tight grouping of arrows from both the Greeks.

Artemis and Apollo then split off in opposite directions as they split up, causing Scathach to growl in frustration at this. " **I'll take Artemis, you take down the pretty boy** ," said Issei, getting a nod from the witch.

"I'll make this quick," she snarled, before rushing after the Sun God while Issei did the same with Artemis.

Scathach was hot on the heels of Apollo whom frowned as he threw his now useless bow at her as fire began surrounding the Sun God, the flames trickled off his body and started setting the area around the two fighters alight with flames. Scathach simply drew a Rune of Fire in front of her as the flames were extinguished in a large area around her, Apollo frowned as he saw this before the Sun God was engulfed with flames.

"I am responsible for the coming dawn and the departing dusk, I who travels the world in a four horse drawn carriage," chanted the Sun God.

The Godslayer skidded to a stop as a massive pillar of fire erupted where Apollo had been standing, the witch stabbing Gae Bolg into the ground as the power from the attack sent a shockwave of heat and pressure out even as the pillar continued growing.

"Now you shall face the wrath of Phoebus, **Chariot of the Sun!** " shouted Apollo as the pillar exploded outwards, burning anything in its wake as it revealed the Sun God standing in a massive four horse drawn chariot.

The horses all had fire for manes and the chariot itself was a blazing red as it's wheels had flames dancing around their rims. Scathach just looked at the Sun God unimpressed as purple Rune Chains appeared along her body and disappeared in a burst of movement as Apollo charged where she once was at a phenomenal speed.

As the chariot hit the entire area erupted into a bonfire as a smoking crater formed from the impact and Apollo quickly rose to the sky in search of his prey, the flaming chariot and its steeds hovering well above the tree line.

"I don't have time for this," growled Scathach as Apollo spotted her and charged her again.

The witch just jumped down from the tree and ran along the forest floor, flames rising behind her as Apollo gave chase. The Sun God then frowned as he found himself unable to close the distance between him and the magically enhanced witch, 'she's faster than even my chariot when using Rune Magic…not good.'

Suddenly the Sun God was snapped out of his thoughts as Scathach spun around without warning and instead charged his incoming chariot. The witch then leapt over the chariot as her spears formed around her before shooting towards the four Divine Beasts pulling his chariot, braining the four horses which stumbled to the ground as the chariot was overturned and Apollo sent flying.

The last thing Apollo saw before darkness overtook him was a massive blue mist forming in the distance and a feeling of horror began to spread throughout his body. "Sister…don't use it," he gasped before collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Scathach frowned as she heard this before picking up the unmoving God and turning to face the blue mist with a frown. 'Should I interfere? No Issei said he could handle this, besides after our fight Artemis is in a wounded state anyway,' decided the Godslayer as she and her prey headed back to the remains of the Hyoudou residence.

* * *

"You shouldn't have come back human, now your life is forfeit," growled Artemis.

Issei just shrugged, " **fine take it, I've got plenty more**. **I must say I'm disappointed in you Artemis, I mean Atalanta held you in such high regard and this is the best you can do? Hell even Atalanta would put up a better fight then this**."

Suddenly a massive pillar of flames erupted in the distance, however Artemis was so consumed by rage she didn't even notice it as she started trembling. "You dare insult me by comparing me to that FAKE!"

"Be prepared human you shall suffer the same fate as Calydon!" snarled Artemis as the ground began shaking.

Issei watched as a massive storm of blue mist swirled around the two fighters and his eyes narrowed as he heard the Goddess and instantly the ground began shaking even more violently. 'No…she wouldn't! Not with Kuoh this close!' he realized with fear.

"I am the Goddess of the Moon and Hunts, you who is so foolish to have wronged me shall suffer the greatest punishment I can muster. Now stand and bear witness to my wrath, I call upon you… **the Boar of Divine Punishment!** " shouted Artemis from within the swirling blue mist.

'Ddriag Boost my power!' ordered Issei as he leapt out of the mist and saw it beginning to from a scarily familiar shape.

[Partner I can't, if I Boost it anymore your body will tear itself apart!]

'I know Ddriag, in fact I'm counting on it,' smirked Issei as the gems in Boosted Gear began glowing a bright green. Ddriag was silent until the teen heard another sigh and got the impression that the dragon was shaking his head at him.

[Alright partner, you clearly have some kind of ridiculous plan cooked up. Now let's show this Boar who the real monster is.]

 **[BOOST!]**

Instantly Issei screamed as he felt pain erupting throughout his body, it felt like every organ, every nerve, _every cell_ , was being ripped to shreds. 'Just a bit longer,' grunted out the teen as the mist finally vanished to reveal a sight Issei would remember for the rest of his life.

Standing before him was a massive black boar, easily the size of most skyscrapers, glaring down at the human with a snarl on its face. "Behold the Boar that sacked the city of Calydon, the Calydonian Boar!" shouted Artemis as she looked down at the human from the top of the Divine Beast's head.

"How many lives does your pathetic copy of Herakles power have left human?! Because I'm going to take all of them!" she gloated, arrogantly.

 **[BOOST!]**

Whatever witty retort Issei had planned for her died unspoken as he screamed in horrific pain again, the Goddess watching in amusement as he fell to his knees, struggling to maintain his consciousness. "Hah foolish human you are doing my job for me!" laughed Artemis as she saw Issei struggle to look up at her and frowned as she saw that, despite the pain, there was a smirk on his face.

'I win,' mouthed Issei to the Goddess as blood began pouring from his eyes and mouth, the teen then collapsed to the ground and Artemis watched as the human's body grew still.

Artemis frowned as she stared at the dead body of the human, waiting to see if it would be resurrected for a third time, all the while her mind was racing. 'What did he mean by that? How does dying secure him victory?'

Suddenly her eyes widened as she realized just how much of an error she'd made, while the shield and resurrection provided by God's Hand were powerful in their own rights…it was the last function that made it near unbeatable. If he had copied the first two functions of God's Hand, then it made sense that he had the third as well.

'Which means that when he died just then, what he gained an immunity to was Boosted Gear…' she realized, and drops of sweat began to drip down her back as she saw Issei's body start twitching.

After all, the reason Boosted Gear always fell short of living up to its potential was that its hosts could not handle the Sacred Gear's strength…but if there was a host immune to it's effects, the level of power they could reach was limitless. 'My only chance for victory is to kill him before he can Boost to unbeatable levels, I need to end this quickly,' she decided as Issei got up from the ground and smirked at her, his Sacred Gear glowing once again.

 **[BOOST!]**

"Damn it! Kill him now!" she ordered the gigantic boar, before the Divine Beast bellowed a war cry and charged at the human.

Issei watched as the Boar rapidly approached him and jumped as high as he could with his enhanced strength and agility, easily clearing the height of the boar as it passed underneath him and landing on the beast's head, right next to the Goddess.

Artemis' sixth sense and experience was the only thing that kept her head attached as she ducked under a blur coming towards her neck and she retreated to the other end of the boar. 'He's even faster and stronger than I am, not good,' she realized through gritted teeth.

The Goddess then blinked as she saw the teen and frowned as she took note of the changes to his body, the human's skin had completely turned to a grey colour and his hair had seemed to grow. 'He almost looks like…no that's not possible,' she decided before readying another arrow as the teen became a grey blur.

Issei suddenly appeared behind her, his axe-sword slamming against her bow and knocking the weapon from her grasp from the strength behind the blow. However, she was still a God and far from powerless as Artemis didn't even flinch at the loss of her weapon and instead swept the legs out from under Issei as she used her skill in pankration to her advantage and quickly disarmed her opponent.

But she wasn't the only one who knew pankration, the greatest hero of the Greeks had long applied himself to the practice of Greek Martial Arts to an even greater extend then any God had before him. Therefore, Issei was able to recover quickly as he landed in a handstand and sent a spinning kick into the shocked Goddess, whom stumbled before she felt a hand grab her hair and pull her head down into an incoming uppercut to the jaw.

" **Nine Lives: The Shooting of the Hundred Heads!** " called Issei and suddenly instead of one uppercut hitting her, Artemis felt nine strike her so quickly that if she didn't have enhanced reflexes she would have thought that it was at the same time.

Reeling from the blows to her head Artemis could do nothing as Issei placed a foot over her own before tilting her leg until the Goddess' balance was broken and she was knocked prone. Instantly Issei was upon the Goddess as he used his now superior strength to trap her in a chokehold, and suddenly Artemis found herself struggling to breathe.

Realizing its master was in danger the boar started shaking itself like a dog, knocking Issei off its back while Artemis grabbed a handful of its fur and clung to her Divine Beast as it rushed towards the human's downed form. The human growled in frustration as he rolled to dodge the gigantic hoof that crushed the spot he'd vacated seconds ago, only for an arrow to strike his skin and bounce off. The teen's God's Hand coming into effect as it had developed an immunity to the Goddess' bow.

" **Tristar Amore Mio** ," shouted Artemis as she sent another blinding white arrow into Issei, only to see the white projectile shatter upon contact with Issei's skin.

"N-no way, when did he gain an immunity to…" muttered Artemis at the sight of one of her most powerful attacks being reduced to nothing before she remembered back to the start of the fight.

" _Orion would be so disappointed in you…" smirked the human._

 _Artemis trembled in rage as she glared at him, "you dare to mention him…you're dead HUMAN!_

" **Do you know what a vaccination is Artemis?** " grinned Issei in relief as he remembered the pain of her arrows and most of all her attack Tristar Amore Mio. " **Still it was worth it, now ready or not. HERE I COME!** "

The teen then disappeared as the boar rampaged towards him, only to reappear above them again with his axe-sword back in his hand. Eyes widening Artemis rolled back to a safe distance even as Issei sent a powerful punch to where her head had been moments before, the two fighters then had to struggle to maintain their footing as the boar beneath them gave a pained cry and started thrashing.

 **[BOOST!]**

Upon hearing this Artemis' face gained another fearful expression as she tried to comprehend just how much power was now coursing through the teen's body, only for her nanosecond distraction to cost her a red clad fist to the face. The Goddess was then sent flying off the boar's back and cried out in pain as her body hit the ground, hearing bones breaking in her body.

Realizing that it's master was no longer on its back the Calydonian Boar began thrashing even more wildly as it tried to remove the insect off its back, Issei just stabbed his axe-sword into the beast's flesh and held on for dear life. The boar cried out in pain as it felt the blow before snorting as started rolling onto its back, trying to crush its prey beneath it.

Issei quickly removed the axe-sword from the beasts' flesh as he leapt off it and stood in between the boar and the outskirts of Kuoh, watching as both the boar and Artemis got back to their feet. Seeing the town beyond the teen Artemis gained a smile as she slowly pointed at the teen without a word, the Calydonian Boar then roared and the earth began shaking as it stampeded towards him with it eyes now glowing with madness.

"Nothing, not even I can stop the Boar after it has begun to rampage. So _hero_ what will you chose? Attempt to kill it or simply let it rampage? I wonder, what would happen to your precious town if you did that though?" smirked the Goddess, seeing the teen look behind him at Kuoh with horror.

For his part Issei stared at the stampeding boar with horrified expression as he realized what Artemis had just done, he wasn't going to let the Boar destroy Kuoh. 'Should I Install Archer? No, there's no time. DAMN IT!' raged Issei before he placed himself between the town and the raging Divine Beast.

"You fool, once the boar has reached this level of power no one can stop it," laughed Artemis, whom was ignored as Issei braced himself for the approaching onslaught.

 **[BOOST!]**

And so the clash of Titans began as the Boar crashed into Issei whom barely avoided being gouged by its tusks as he gripped nose of the beast and struggle to push against it. The ground beneath the teen cracked as the human was forced to give ground before the weight and momentum of the gigantic boar, his feet creating groves in the earth as he was continued to be pushed back.

Nevertheless, Artemis frowned as she saw the Calydonian Boar's progress begin to be slowed down and a tiny bit of worry started to grow before she pushed it aside. "Just give up human," she sighed.

" **No! Not with Herakles helping me! I will protect my family! And this damned pig is not going to stop me!** " shouted Issei, and suddenly the Boar stopped as the two reached a stalemate.

"No that's not possible," gasped Artemis in shock.

A grin spread across Issei's face, " **don't you know? Herakles makes it a habit of doing the impossible**."

The Goddess then watched in shocked horror as Issei began pushing the boar back a step, then two, then four, and suddenly the tables had turned as the Divine Beast roared in frustration as for the first time in its life, it was being overpowered. Artemis then swore she could see a familiar massive grey giant appear behind Issei and smile at the human before they both roared in unison.

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅" they cried and Artemis couldn't believe her eyes as she saw the human actually _lift_ the gigantic boar off the ground!

Unable to speak through her shock Artemis just watched at the boar was thrown into the air, looking like a meteor as it began to descend back towards the ground. Watching the falling boar, Issei then braced himself as he pulled his gauntlet covered arm back as if to punch something before a small ball of green light appeared in front of his fist.

The Goddess could only watch as the green ball suddenly grew exponentially and winds began whipping around them both as the massive amount of power that had been coursing through Issei's body was transferred into the attack.

" **Dragon Shot!"**

And the world disappeared in green light.

All Artemis could see before she was blinded was a huge beam of green light shoot out of the ball of energy as Issei punched it before it enveloped the Calydonian Boar and she heard a squeal of pain followed be silence. No sound of the boar impacting the ground or even the sounds of the nearby animals panicking, just dead silence.

When her eyesight finally recovered she gasped as she saw no trace of the boar to be found, almost has if it had been disintegrated from the force. Looking up at the sky she saw a massive hole in the storm clouds where the beam of green light had passed through it.

" **Now what to do with you?** " questioned Issei as she spun to see him approaching her.

The Goddess said nothing, still in shock at how the battle had gone, the Calydonian Boar, the strongest Divine Beast at her disposal and in fact one of the strongest of the Greek Pantheon had just be wiped out. Suddenly Issei grabbed her by the neck and she was forced to look at him in the eyes.

" **I should kill you, but I won't. Atalanta would be hurt if I did, I want you to know that. The only reason you live is because of the one who you insulted by calling an imposter,** " he frowned before dropping her to the ground.

" **Better luck next time, sister,** " grinned Issei in a very familiar way and for a brief moment the giant returned as he lifted his fist up.

"Brother?" murmured Artemis as she stared at Issei before a fist slammed into her face and everything went black.

* * *

Issei yawned tiredly as he, Xenovia, Irina and Asia walked over to the ORC clubroom, everyone looking like zombies as they trudged through the school. "Are we really trusting the Devils after what they did?" questioned Irina, getting a nod from Xenovia.

The teen just sighed as this, "Irina I told you, Kiba was acting on his own, in fact he was likely being manipulated by our mystery organization."

"I don't know how the Church will take to involving them in this," muttered Xenovia.

"Just tell them I'm responsible for it, that should shut them up. Speaking of which, how did they react to the news about Arthur?" he asked, curiously.

"Not well, apparently the Pendragon family is taking a lot of flak for it," replied the blue haired exorcist before she frowned. "Are you sure we shouldn't have Scathach here helping?"

He shook his head, "as much as I'd like to have her help, we need her guarding Apollo and Artemis until Lugh can interrogate them. They're too dangerous to be left alone."

The group then opened the door to the ORC and shuffled in, Xenovia instantly summoning Durandal as she spotted all the Devils pointing weapons at them. "Stand down, all of you!" ordered Rias as she spotted them.

The Devils reluctantly followed her orders, although Sona's peerage didn't do so until they got a nod from their King. Issei frowned as he saw Le Fay and Kiba bound in separate corners of the room, 'so I was right, she was involved.'

"Sorry Issei, after seeing that massive battle last night we've been a bit on edge," explained Rias.

"Indeed the Sekiryuutei is pretty impressive isn't he?" muttered Xenvoia, getting shocked looks from everyone.

"That was the Sekiryuutei?! Wait, you've met him!" shouted Sona.

Xenovia's only response was to give a knowing smirk before she sealed Durandal back into its pocket dimension, causing Sona to growl angrily.

[Partner, you release that now that she knows it won't be long before the Church and by extension everyone in the Three Factions finds out about you.]

'I'll talk to her about it, maybe I can convince her to keep it a secret from her superiors,' sighed Issei. The sound of Rias clearing her throat caught his attention as the Gremory heiress and her peerage bowed before him, "please accept my most deepest apologizes for what happened to Kiba, Issei. I can assure you he was not acting under my orders."

"Then what was he doing interfering with our mission?" growled Xenovia.

Rias and the others sighed as Kiba spoke up, explaining what Le Fay had done as well as his own hatred for the Excaliburs and the Holy Sword Project. Both the exorcists seemed surprised at the revelation that he was a survivor of that accursed experiment.

"So let me get this straight, you attacked us because Le Fay convinced you that I was a descendant of King Arthur?" sighed Issei, pinching the bridge of his nose.

[It seems that the universe isn't without a sense of humor, right partner?]

'Mordred's being quiet, I expected her to rage about now. Especially after hearing how her father's sword was used in such horrible experiments,' mused the teen as he saw the bound Kiba looking at him with an ashamed expression.

[With her current depression, I doubt she's even listening anymore. Good reddens, although I wouldn't count on being able to use the Saber card.]

Issei frowned upon hearing this, remembering the deep sadness that had briefly overwhelmed him when Caliburn rejected him. 'Maybe, she'll snap out of it,' he thought with a shrug as he tuned back in to the conversation.

"I think the punishment should be up to Issei, he did try to kill him," pointed out Irina with a frown.

Xenovia nodded in agreement as she prepared to summon Durandal incase things went wrong, while Issei just stared at them in confusion. Rias looked at the Kiba who still had an ashamed expression on his face and the two exorcists with eager expressions before sighing, realizing this was the only compromise she could make.

"Very well Issei, what would you demand from the Gremory family as punishment for Kiba's actions," she asked with a sad expression, well aware that he could demand the Knight's life and there was nothing she could do about it.

"It looks like you're my executioner, aren't you Issei? All I ask is that you make it quick," requested Kiba with a weak laugh as offered the teen a sad smile.

" _It looks like you're my executioner, aren't you Charles? All I ask is that you make it quick_ ," _requested his King with a sad smile._

 _The man nodded as he walked over to the guillotine with his King, the crowd jeering as they threw fruit and stones at the former King. Charles said nothing as he placed his King in the guillotine and pulled the rope, silently watching as Louis' head rolled into the basket and his body collapsed to the ground._

 _Another day, another execution…how he longed for the days when his job would no longer be necessary._

Issei blinked as he picked up the glowing Assassin card with a frown and stared at it, watching as it transformed into a curved T-shaped claymore before slowly approaching Kiba. The Devils all looked to the ground as they saw Issei raise the sword above his head before swinging it downwards. However, Kiba blinked as he felt the rope binding his hands being cut and saw Issei stepping back from the now freed Devil.

"It is not the role of the executioner to decide you punishment, he only carries it out. That right is reserved solely for your King," announced Issei as the sword returned to its card form and he turned to Rias.

The Gremory heiress breathed a sigh of relief before she gave Issei a thankful nod, "thank you for your understanding Issei, I assure you he will be punished."

"Understood, so now let's get down to business," stated Issei as he and the others turned to the captured Le Fay. "So why did you and your brother steal the Excalibur fragments?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" frowned Le Fay.

In response Issei placed his cardholder in front of the captured Le Fay, "do you know what these cards do?"

The blonde witch shook her head making Issei smirk, "they let me copy other artifacts that I see. I'm not a descendant of Mordred, so how do you think I was able to obtain Clarent?"

"You saw the original," answered Le Fay, getting a nod from Issei.

"That's right, you see you were correct in assuming that Mordred is here and he's after your brother. You just picked the wrong target. So let me ask you, who do you want to find you brother first? Mordred or us?" asked Issei.

Le Fay was silent for a couple of seconds as she stared at the floor, "alright if I tell you have to promise me you won't kill him."

The teen shook his head, "I can't promise that Le Fay, however I can promise that we will only use lethal force if no other option presents itself. It'll be up to you to try and calm him down and get him to surrender."

The descendant of Morgan was silent before she sighed and gave a nod, "I suppose that's the best I can hope for, alright we're working for Kokabiel…"

* * *

Arthur frowned as he stared at the sword in front of him, Valper hovering close nearby as he saw the descendant studying the sword. "Is it done?" asked Arthur, getting a fearful nod from the ex-bishop.

"It's not a perfect recreation, from what I could discover the appearance of the sword is different but I assure you that it will live up to your expectations milord," replied Valper with a hurried bow.

Arthur looked at the black blade in front of him, his hands tracing the red fae runes running along its surface as he felt the power emanating off the blade. 'Yes this was the blade that will end Mordred, Clarent won't save him this time. He would have revenge on the traitor and his bitch of a mother!' thought Arthur, only to shake his head at the strange thought appearing in his head.

Putting aside his concerns for now the descendant grasped the blade and the sword gave off a horrid black glow and Valper could only shudder in fear. This power felt like Holy energies but there was something fundamentally wrong…twisted…it was making him, the one known as the Genocide Bishop, feel ill.

"Yes with this blade I shall kill Mordred," announced Arthur, and Valper thought he saw the descendant's eyes turning a sickening green.

"And what about your sister milord?" asked Valper, hesitantly.

Arthur blinked in confusion, "my sister?"

"Lady Le Fay milord, remember she is still missing," he reminded the descendant.

"That's right, Le Fay…my sister," murmured Arthur before his expression of understanding devolved into one of rage as the sword gave another horrid black pulse of power. "My sister…Morgan…I'll kill her!"

"I'll…I'll…I'll kill Mordred and Morgan both," growled the descendant before he left, leaving a very afraid Valper alone in the room.

"I have to contact Kokabiel!" he said, before rushing out of the room.

* * *

"I can't believe it, Kokabiel is actually wanting another war. Just how mad can someone possibly be?" sighed Rias with a shake of her head.

"So how are we going to lure Arthur back here? We don't have any Excalibur left," asked Sona.

"We'll use Le Fay," announced Issei, getting frowns from everyone present.

"Issei, I know she agreed to help us talk Arthur down but I sincerely doubt she'll lead him back here if we let her go," argued Xenovia.

Issei sighed as he gave silent thanks for Scathach having a spare Rune Necklace to give him as he pulled out the Caster card, "that won't be a problem."

Everyone was silent as they saw the card turn into a mirror, both Akeno's and Koneko's eyes narrowing as the caught sight of it, while the rest were preoccupied by staring at his fox ears and tail. "Issei, you're a Youkai! I thought you were human! Oh you have to tell me about Kyoto, what's it like?!" exclaimed Rias as she grabbed the teen and started shaking him.

"I'll explain later Rias, but for now we have a descendant to trick," started Issei and everyone watched as his form glowed before being replaced by a replica of Le Fay.

"Testing, testing, 1 2 3," spoke Issei, making sure his voice matched Le Fay's.

* * *

"So the descendant stole the complete sword and is out on a vendetta. Valper…you better have a good reason for me to even keep you alive after this failure," growled the Fallen Angel as he lifted the human up by his neck.

"O-of course, milord. I reactivated the trackers the Church uses when I made the blade, I can use those to track down Arthur and retrieve the blade," replied Valper, gasping for breath as the Fallen released his grip.

"I see, congratulations Valper, you get to live a bit longer. Now where is he?" demanded Kokabiel.

"Right away milord!" Valper as he struggled to his feet and rushed over to his equipment.

After a couple of minutes typing into his equipment the ex-bishop grinned as he turned back to the Fallen Angel, "I found him, he's currently heading towards Kuoh Academy at a high speed."

"The Devils?" blinked the Fallen before a grin spread across his face. "Well it would seem that fate is on our side, good we can use this."

"Will you be going after him?" asked Valper.

"Of course, but I'm not going to stop him. Don't you find it ironic Valper? The one to plunge this world into a new war is none other than a member of the Pendragon family."

"And what about me?" replied the ex-bishop, only to feel pain erupt from his stomach.

"You? You die, Valper," answered Kokabiel as he removed his light spear from the human's gut and walked away, abandoning the dying bishop to his fate.

* * *

"What's going on?! I thought these two were supposed to be close?!" raged Issei, out loud as he dodged Arthur's new sword coming in for another strike at his neck.

"Morgan," hissed the descendant as his sword started glowing a deep black.

[Well it's good to see you're luck's still the same as ever, partner.]

"Shut up Ddriag!" he hissed as the mirror spun around and blocked a blow coming into his head.

Issei frowned as he thought back to how this debacle had started, he had been wondering around the town disguised as Le Fay when he spotted Arthur. Naturally, the teen had rushed over to him, preparing to give a story he had spent the past couple of hours fabricating when a sword had come sailing towards his head before he'd even said a word.

The only reason he'd survived was because the mirror chose that moment to come out of hiding and blocked the blow, making Issei skid to a stop before backing away. This had led to their current situation of Arthur trying to skewer him while the teen fled for his life, still if there was one thing to be grateful for it was that he was leading Arthur to Kuoh.

"I'll make you pay Morgan," hissed the descendant as he leapt over Issei before using his momentum to swing his sword at Issei.

The disguised teen's eye widened before he threw a Talisman onto the spot in front of him, "Frigid Heaven."

A pillar of ice formed just as Arthur's sword was over the talisman and trapped the blade in the ice as Issei continued running, flinching as he heard Arthur's roar of rage before a black light briefly appeared behind him followed by the sound of ice shattering. The teen's spirits raised as he saw the familiar building rising in the distance and he took a quick glance behind him to see Arthur was still hot on his track.

"Oi guys he's coming! Ready plan B!" he shouted as he crossed into the school grounds before transforming out of his Le Fay disguise as everyone readied themselves for a fight.

When Arthur finally rushed in he found himself surrounded by both the exorcists and Devils, while Issei was standing near the real Le Fay who still had her hands bound. The descendant of Morgan gasped as she saw what had happened to her brother, everyone else shuddered as they felt how _wrong_ the sword in his hand was.

"Brother?" muttered Le Fay, whom flinched as she saw Arthur's hate filled expression come to rest on her.

"Morgan," he hissed and charged his sibling, only for Xenovia to intercept him and push the descendant back with Durandal.

"Brother what's wrong with you? Snap out of it!" she cried, only for them to hear amused laughter above them.

"I'd rather you didn't, I much prefer him like this," smirked a black haired man with pointed ears and five pairs of black wings sprouting out of his back.

"Kokabiel! What did you do to my brother?" shouted Le Fay, making everyone stare up at the man with worry.

"Believe it or not, I had nothing to do with this. He did it all by himself, in fact if anyone's to blame it would be you child," smirked Kokabiel, making a shocked expression appear on her face.

"What are you saying?" she muttered in a soft voice, only to be drowned out by Kokabiel's mocking laughter.

"Apparently your brother was so worried for you that he went on a warpath to find his sister and her kidnappers, this is the result. It would seem the Excaliburs still remember their old foes," replied Kokabiel.

 _A sword of brilliant light, now a pale shadow of what it once was, split into seven fragments, only to be remade with tainted hands. Once used by the King of Knights to keep the peace, now twisted into weapon of war, it still remembers its hated foe…_

Le Fay frowned as she remembered the warning from Scathach and as she looked at her brother another part of the witch's prediction.

… _And so the demonic sword of peace and the holy sword of war will clash, and a fate once set in stone will be broken…_

"Mordred…" muttered Le Fay, making Issei turn to face her.

"What now Le Fay? I don't think your brother's willing to talk things out right now," he pointed out, his tail standing rigid against his back as he stared at Kokabiel and Arthur.

"We need Mordred, he can beat him. He needs to beat him!" she informed the teen, getting a look of disbelief from the teen.

"Are you insane? We have enough problems here as it is!" he cried, only to push her out of the way as a torrent of black flames rushed towards them.

The pair looked up and saw Arthur's blade surrounded by another horrid glow as Kokabiel looked at the blade with interest. "Fascinating, it's clearly a holy weapon and yet the energy it gives off is twisted…almost demonic in nature. But I suppose the death of God could easily result in something like that forming," he commented, making everyone except Issei blink.

"What do you mean 'the death of God?'" demanded Xenovia, as Irina and Asia had blank looks on their faces.

Kokabiel looked at her in confusion before an understanding expression spread along his face, "that's right we never informed you small fry did we? During the last war between the Three Factions, it wasn't just the four Maou who perished but also God himself."

"You're lying!" spat Irina in fury.

Kokabiel just shrugged, "whether you believe me or not is irrelevant, the evidence is staring at you in the face. Or do you think the Holy Sword he is wielding is natural?"

There was a deep silence as they stared at Arthur's black glowing blade with no small amount of fear before Kokabiel's grinned widened. "Well since everyone's here let's kick this festival off with a bang shall we?" he smirked and they watched two large three headed dogs appeared at the opposite end school courtyard.

"And now, let the games begin," announced the Fallen Angel as he snapped his fingers and the Cerberus' roared before they charged and the three way standoff was broken.

* * *

"Rias, Sona, Xenovia, I'll deal with Kokabiel, you all deal with Arthur and the dogs. Remember lethal force as a last resort only," ordered Issei as he got nods from everyone present and a grateful thank you from Le Fay.

"Oh, you think you can take me by yourself?" stated an amused Kokabiel, even as Xenovia and Kiba charged Arthur while the rest attacked the Cerberus'.

"Well I am a descendant of Cu Chulainn, trust me I'm no push over. In fact, what do you say to us moving to a more remote location? No one can interfere that way?" smirked Issei, even as the mirror turned back into its card and his fox features disappeared.

"Alright boy, I'll humor you. Let's go," replied the Fallen Angel even as they both heard the clanging of Durandal against Excalibur, two of the strongest holy swords clashing for the first time.

The pair left the battlefield as they moved out sight of Kuoh Academy, the Fallen then turned to face Issei with an expectant expression. "I have high hopes for you boy, I hope you'll keep me entertained," growled the Fallen as a massive light spear formed in his hand.

[Partner, you can't let that hit you. It'll only take a single hit for that to bring you down. Your best bet would be Berserker or Lancer to beat this guy.]

'You know Berserker only comes out occasionally Ddriag and this guy is expecting Gae Bolg, so Lancer is out as well,' replied Issei as he drew a card.

[So what's the plan then?]

A smile spread across his face, 'simple I won't let him find me.'

"Include Assassin," whispered Issei and Kokabiel watched as the card in his hand turned into a curved T-shaped claymore.

"Oh a neat trick, well are you ready? I would hate for you to die instantly," smirked the Fallen Angel, only for the smile to drop as he saw the red gauntlet cover Issei's other arm.

 **[BOOST!]**

"Boosted Gear? Ha Ha Ha, now this is going to be a fun," he grinned, before feathers launched out of his wings and buried themselves into the pavement surrounding him.

Kokabiel then frowned as he looked to where Issei had been moments before only to find the teen missing and immediately leapt into the air as he tried to find the human. The Fallen growled in anger as he couldn't find the teen anywhere, only for his instincts to scream a warning as he brought his light spear up to block the Claymore sailing at his face.

Issei leapt backwards as he reappeared in front of Kokabiel, a frown on the teen's face as the Fallen threw his light spear at him. The spear exploded into light as it hit and Kokabiel was blinded by the flash from the attack before his eyesight recovered to reveal a massive building sized crater in the ground and Issei again nowhere to be found.

"Where are you?" growled Kokabiel as he began searching for his quarry again and blinked as Issei appeared in front of him with his fist raised and a small ball of green light forming around it.

"Dragon Shot!" shouted Issei and a beam of green light shot towards Kokabiel even as Issei again disappeared as his Presence Concealment reactivated.

The Fallen Angel quickly dodged the attack and growled, "come out coward! This is not how a fight should be fought!"

"That's where you're mistaken Kokabiel, this is no fight," growled Issei in a cold tone as he reappeared before his opponent, the T-shaped claymore slung across his shoulder.

The Fallen Angel leader backed up slightly as he felt a few drops of sweat run down his back at the teen's suddenly cold tone, seeing nothing but the promise of death in the eyes of the human gazing upon him.

"This is an **Execution** ," continued Issei, and Kokabiel shuddered as he instantly felt a cold presence forming behind the human.

Sparing a quick glance, the Fallen Angel saw the ghostly form of a giant horrific guillotine beginning to materialize behind the teen. The entire guillotine was coloured a dull grey and brown with numerous skeletal figures carved into long pillars reaching up to the top level where they joined more carvings of horses and cherubs smiling down at him with ghastly expressions on their faces.

However, it wasn't the horrific carvings that had made the Fallen Angel shiver but rather the black orb of unfathomable darkness growing in between the giant blade and the earth. An orb that Kokabiel could swear had already decided his fate as he stared into its depths and saw nothing but the cold embrace of death within. For his part Issei had just moved in front of the orb of growing darkness and seemed to beckon the Fallen Angel closer as his iris' began burning a bright blue, contrasting the deep darkness behind him.

As he gazed upon the guillotine Kokabiel could have sworn he heard the screaming of thousands of souls, each brought to an end well before their time. Young, old, innocent, guilty, it did not matter who stood before the executioner, all would have their lives taken by his tool. And now all were yearning for a new soul to join them in death's embrace.

'I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!' whispered a frantic voice at the back of his mind, only for Kokabiel to shake his head and try to ignore it. And yet he found that try as he might, the Fallen Angel couldn't shut the voices out as his entire body began trembling.

"Kokabiel, your heart has been weighed…" intoned Issei and Kokabiel screamed in fear and pain as numerous black demonic arms shot out from the orb and wrapped themselves around the Fallen Angel.

Kokabiel panicked as he felt the arms beginning to drag him towards the black orb, the Fallen Angel instinctively knowing that to do so would lead to his death. He quickly tried to cut off the offending arms with his newly resummoned light spears, only for more arms to spring up from within the orb and drag him in faster.

"It has been measured…" continued the teen, watching the struggling Fallen Angel from a distance with a blank expression on his face.

'How many of these things are there?!' thought Kokabiel in both in fear and anger as he continued trying to cut the rapidly multiplying arms covering his body, only for ten more to replace every one he cut. Seeing the black orb growing closer he gave up trying to cut off the arms and instead stabbed his spears into the ground in a desperate attempt to try and halt his approach towards the guillotine, and instantly sighed his death warrant.

Kokabiel briefly felt his progress get halted and a hopeful smile spread across his face, only for this hope to be dashed as without the spears keeping their numbers down the arms rapidly covered his entire body. Issei could only see the Fallen Angels horrified eyes visible as his entire body was engulfed by the demonic arms and heard Kokabiel scream out in horror as his spears snapped from the increasing pressure.

"…and it has been found wanting," sighed the teen as he slowly lifted his claymore high in the air, the blade of the guillotine rising in turn as the demonic arms hungrily drew the Fallen Angel leader into the orb.

" **La Mort Espoir!** " shouted Issei as the guillotine blade was released and was it passed over the black orb, there was a scream of horror before the guillotine, and Kokabiel along with it, disappeared.

[Good job partner.]

'Thanks Ddriag,' replied Issei, only to frown as he saw a massive wave of black energy erupt from where he had left the others to deal with Arthur.

 _We need Mordred, he can beat him. He needs to beat him…_

[Partner I know what you're thinking and it's a terrible idea.]

'When aren't they?' he questioned with a sigh before the claymore returned to its card form and he picked the Saber card instead. 'Besides you heard what Le Fay said.'

[…Fine but don't say I didn't warn you partner.]

"Here goes nothing," sighed Issei as the Saber card began glowing, no one seeing the white armoured figure watching from the distance.

[It would seem Ddriag has picked an interesting host this time around…]

* * *

It was the smell that he noticed first, the scent of burning and charred flesh before he opened his eyes and saw the horrific battlefield in front of him. The sun was hidden by dark clouds in the red sky and rained poured down on the teen as a deluge and yet despite this, fires raged along what would have once been farmland but were now nothing but fields of burning bodies.

It was a hell in every sense of the word…

After taking a moment to get his bearings and take it all in, Issei frowned as he tried to find the knight he was looking for and breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted her. Issei then walked over to the masked knight whom was sitting down and leaning against one of the few remaining trees before he sat down at the opposite end of the plant. The two then sat in silence as they stared at the blood soaked fields, corpses laying scattered everywhere as fires continued to illuminate the battlefield in their harsh glow.

Finally, Mordred broke the silence as she stared at Clarent clutched in her hand, "do you know why I participated in my Grail War? What my burning desire to be granted from the Grail was?"

"No, I assume it was so you could be King?" asked Issei, only to get a deep silence from the knight.

"If only it was that simple," she muttered, under her breath and making Issei shoot her a confused look.

The knight just ignored the glance as she looked up at the red, smoke filled sky above them, "I wanted to be given the opportunity to challenge the Sword of Appointment, to prove to my 'father' that 'he' was wrong. That I was worthy to be King…to show that I wasn't just some bastard child."

"I was so sure that if given the opportunity I would be accepted by the sword, that I never even considered failure to be a possibility…how wrong I was," stated Mordred with a bitter laugh.

"I guess in the end 'father' was right, I could never be King. This illegitimate bastard of a child, no not a child, this worthless homunculus. I was merely a puppet dancing to other's strings," she laughed in a depressed tone.

The knight then stabbed Clarent into the ground as she stood up and gestured to the blood soaked battlefield, "and so here I stand, the Knight of Treachery, betrayed and cast aside by her family, her pride…and her wish. Rejected by her father and then disowned by her mother, isn't the irony amazing?"

"Come then and look at this failure of a knight, laugh in pity at her, the one who dared to dream of having some recognition, of being treated as something other than a disgrace!" shouted Mordred as she approached Issei.

The knight then eyed the ground and Issei heard a soft whisper echo from the helm, "I just wanted 'him' praise me, to smile and say 'I'm proud of you'…just once. Was that too much to ask?"

Issei blinked as he heard this unexpected whisper and his mind thought back to when he got these cards…all those years ago.

 _Zelretch nodded with a frown, "some are but not all. Don't forget knights aren't the only ones skilled with a sword young man, and not all knights are noble ones in fact there is one who is even called the Knight of Treachery..."_

 _"Even if they weren't noble I'm sure they had reasons for doing what they did, knights are people too after all," argued the ten year old Issei as he looked up to the old man with a determined expression._

The knight was about to turn away when she felt a hand grab her arm and saw Issei smile comfortingly at her. "Mordred follow me," commanded the teen.

The knight just paused for a second before she followed Issei to a nearby puddle of clean water, the teen once again smiling at her, "now remove your helm."

Again, Mordred paused before the helm covering her face split apart and sank back into her armour, revealing the sad and puffy eyes of the blonde girl beneath it. Issei then pointed at the puddle and gestured for her to get closer.

"Tell me Mordred, when you look into this water. What do you see?" asked the teen, as she looked down at her own reflection.

"I see a pale shadow of my 'father'…a constant reminder of how I failed, I see a useless homunculus who was too weak to be considered anything but a failure by her family," muttered Mordred as tears began welling up behind her eyes.

"Nope, try again," replied Issei, happily.

Mordred frowned as she stared back at the puddle in silence, causing Issei to sigh as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to know what I see?" he asked, getting more silence in response.

"I see a person whom was dealt a bad hand in life, I see a person who struggled against it no matter how many times they were knocked down. I see a proud and strong knight standing before me," concluded Issei.

"Then you're blind," scoffed Mordred.

The teen smiled, "am I? Or perhaps I just see things that others don't?"

"No knight would be seen like this," argued the blonde girl as she clenched her fists, still not looking away from her reflection.

Issei just gave Mordred's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "Mordred, knights aren't machines…they're just people. They have their flaws just like everyone else, and that's what makes them so special. They can relate to others in ways Kings never could, because they, like the people they serve, are _flawed_ and yet they still try to break past this."

"And that's why, as well as a proud knight…I see a sad and lonely girl. A girl who all she wanted was a loving parent, but was cast away at every turn. I see a girl who finally snapped from the treatment. I see a girl whom has been set adrift, a girl so full of hate and sadness that she doesn't even recognize her own worth anymore," continued Issei, as small tears began trailing down the knight's face.

"Look at me, I'm even crying like some weak maiden left at the altar," she cried in shame, as more tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Seeing this the teen reached up to Mordred's face and slowly wiped the tears away as he turned her body back to him and gave another happy smile, "people cry…not because they're weak Mordred...it's because they've been strong for too long. I see many things when I look at you…but a failure is not one of them."

Mordred blinked and she stared at him in confusion as he continued, "your family abandoned you…but that doesn't matter, you have a new family now and I swear to you that we won't abandon you. Me, Sétanta, Tamamo, Ddriag, Atalanta, Charles, even Herakles. We'll take care of you, I swear it."

The knight seemed to gain a slightly happier expression as she replied in an amused tone, "your own little Knights of the Round Table? You sure you want the Knight of Treachery to join?"

Issei just shook his head, "no I meant it Mordred, we're family not simply comrades in arms anymore, and you're a part of it too."

"Issei I appreciate what you're doing, but I'm not a good person, just take a look around and see what I've done. I'm no Hero," sighed Mordred as she once again gestured towards the burning fields.

"Mordred, listen to me. I won't condemn your quest for revenge. And I won't give you the cliché line about nothing good coming from revenge, none of us will. After what happened to you, you have every right to be angry," stated Issei, causing the knight to stare at him in surprise as the teen walked over to Clarent, still stabbed into the ground.

"But in return, let us share your burden," requested the teen as his hands closed around Clarent's hilt.

"Don't tough it out alone anymore, let us help you. I know we might not be the most reliable bunch around, me least of all…but you can rely on us, anytime," promised Issei as he held a hand out to her, making Mordred stare at it with a longing expression.

"I don't think the others would accept me so readily," she muttered, before turning and walking away.

"Even if they don't, I will," promised Issei, stopping Mordred in her tracks.

The teen then lifted Clarent out of the ground as he walked over to the stunned knight, "forget about Caliburn and Excalibur, you have your own sword right here. Stop chasing after the legends of others and start making your own."

Issei then held out Clarent hilt first to the knight, "you said you're not a Hero, and you're right. But that doesn't mean you'll never _become_ one. Clarent was once a sword of peace and prosperity, a symbol of hope, and it can be again Mordred."

It might have their imagination but both Issei and Mordred could have sworn they saw Clarent beginning to glow with a warm red light at his words before the knight shook her head again, "no I don't think I'll ever be able to do that, not after all this."

"It will be hard," replied Issei, Clarent still glowing softly in his hands as he stabbed it back into the earth. "But you're Mordred Pendragon, the only knight to ever surpass her father, if anyone has the strength to do it…it's you."

Mordred's eyes widened at this before Issei slowly beckoned her over to the sword, the knight hesitantly approaching, keeping her wide eyes focused solely on Issei. "You wanted a Sword in the Stone? Well here it is, Clarent, the Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword, the symbol of kingship, denoting the right of succession of the throne. The first and only Demonic Sword of Peace in existence," stated the teen, pointing to the blade stabbed into the ground.

Clarent seemed to glow even more brightly at his words as Issei gave Mordred a proud smile, "and I can think of no better a blade to decide your worth Mordred. Now, come knight and claim your sword, your birthright."

The knight just looked at the sword with a sad expression, "the sword will never accept me, the one who stole it and tainted it beyond measure."

"What happened to the brave, haughty and proud knight I saw earlier? Are you really the same Mordred that fought in the Holy Grail War? The one who had no doubt that she would pass the test? Who threw herself into every challenge headfirst? Then show me that drive now!" ordered Issei as he grabbed her hand and placed it on the sword's hilt.

The teen then stepped away as Mordred looked down at the glowing Clarent still stuck into the ground, feeling her hand hesitantly closing around the hilt of the blade. The knight then took a deep breath as she once more glanced at Issei, whom nodded his head with a smile before Mordred closed her eyes and pulled.

And the world was bathed in light.

Mordred opened her eyes to see Clarent giving out a blinding glow as she held it out in front of her, the powerful aura being given off stronger than anytime the knight had seen it do before. The two of them watched as the fires in the surrounding fields slowly went away and the smoke vanished. The rain that had been pelting down on the two completely disappearing as they felt the warm comforting glow of the sun on their faces.

For the first time in as long as she could remember Mordred saw the beautiful sapphire sky above her and as she looked down at where Clarent had been stabbed in the ground, the knight saw a tiny patch of grass growing in the otherwise barren wasteland.

"Congratulations Mordred Pendragon, rightful heir to the throne of Britain," said Issei as he walked over to her, the knight turning to face him with an amazed expression on her face.

"How…how did you do this?" gasped a shocked Mordred.

Issei just smiled, "I didn't, that was all you Mordred. I merely set you down the right path, when you lost your way. After all, that's what families do."

The knight just stared at Issei, watching as the sun shone its light down on the teen and giving him an air of kindness and authority that she had only felt from one other. For a brief moment Mordred thought back to when she had first entered Camelot and seen her 'father,' the pride and admiration she felt upon looking at 'his' face. The knight was snapped from her thoughts as Issei then offered her a hand as he continued smiling at the awestruck knight.

"So Mordred, what do you say? Still want to join our family?" asked the teen, while Mordred stared at him in awe.

'Issei Hyoudou…this boy, no this man. He is someone, I can call my King,' realized Mordred in shock as she stared at the human with admiration.

"I, Mordred Pendragon, the Knight of Treachery, hereby swear an oath of fealty to my King," announced the knight, dropping to one knee as she bowed her head and offered the glowing Clarent to the surprised Issei.

"By the Lord, before whom this relic was holy, I will be to my King faithful and true, and love all that he loves, and shun all that he shuns, according to God's law, and according to the world's principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do ought of what is loathful to him; on condition that he keep me as I am willing to deserve, and all that fulfil that our agreement was, when I to him submitted and chose his will," swore Mordred before she looked up at him with a smile.

"Long Live The King," she finished and Issei looked at Clarent in confusion until his eyes widened and he picked up the blade before gently placing the demonic sword on each of her shoulders.

"A King huh? I think Emperor would be more appropriate," laughed Issei sheepishly, still trying to wrap his head at around how this had happened.

The teen then handed the sword back to Mordred as the knight stood up from the ground and sheathed the blade, "Issei, you might be my King, but a word of warning."

"You tell anyone I was crying, or call me girl again and I will cut you," promised the knight, grimly.

Another smile grew on his face as Issei just laughed, "see, that's the Mordred I know and love."

The teen saw an embarrassed flush cross her face as the knight turned away, "anyway what's my King's first orders?"

"We're going to remake the legend of the Knight of Treachery Mordred, and to do that we're going to stop Arthur from plunging this world into war. So feeling up for a round two?" smirked the teen.

The eager grin on Mordred's face was all that Issei needed to see, to realize the knight was back to her old self as her helm appeared back over her face and she gripped her sword tightly. "That Poser and his toys don't stand a chance," came her cocky voice.

"Alright then," smirked Issei before they both started glowing.

 _Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill…_

* * *

 **Omake: Atalanta route unlocked!**

Issei walked around Atalanta's mindscape, trying to navigate his way through the jungle and back to the racecourse in his search for the Heroic Spirit in question. Apparently, the huntress hadn't come out of the Archer doorway ever since the fight with Artemis and everyone was starting to worry about her, even Tamamo was starting to get concerned.

And since he was the only one able to go in search of her, Issei had been sent to try and find out what was going on. 'Plus it was kind of my fault that Artemis was beaten up so badly, hopefully she doesn't take that too badly…oh who am I kidding? She'll shoot me on sight,' thought the teen as his eyes began darting from corner to corner.

"Welp, I tried but it looks like I can't find her, time to head back," cheered Issei, only for the smile on his face to drop as he heard a soft familiar sound coming from nearby.

The teen looked in the direction of the sound before turning back to the path he had just come from, silently weighing his options before giving a low sigh as he headed towards the soft sound. Sure enough by following the growing noise he found himself on the racecourse and saw the source of the soft sobbing noise coming from the green huntress crying under a tree.

"Atalanta? Is that you? Are you crying?" blinked the teen in shock as he walked over to her, making the huntress freeze before wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"I do not cry boy!" she lied, her eyes still red and puffy.

Issei smiled at this blatant lie as he sat down next to her, "of course you don't, you're the indomitable Chaste Huntress."

"Am I?" muttered the cat girl softly.

The pair were silent for a couple of minutes, even as more tears began rolling down the huntress' face and she started sobbing again, Atalanta then felt Issei embrace her tightly. "Unhand me at once, or thou shalt lose thy hand," she warned, but even Atalanta could tell that her voice didn't have any bite to it.

"Shh…it's okay Atalanta, just let it all out," he encouraged and the huntress stopped struggling as she cried into his chest, the teen gently stroking her head as she did so.

If anyone asked her later then she would deny it vehemently, but at that moment the huntress felt…happy as he stroked her head, causing her tears to finally come to an end. "There, feeling better now?" he asked, removing his hand from her head, much to her secret disappointment.

Seeing her nod Issei let her out of his embrace as the pair split apart from each other, 'I would if thou had kept petting me.' The huntress shook her head as she tried to banish the traitorous thoughts from her mind, 'it would seem my new features have a greater impact on my form then I thought.'

"So…" started Issei, snapping her out of her daze. "What's got you so upset?"

The cat girl was silent as she held a hand out to the full moon above them, "does thou know how the summoning of Servants through the Throne of Heroes functions?"

"Not really, Zelretch mostly glossed over that part," admitted Issei.

"My own Goddess…the one who saved me…who I worshipped…called me a fake…said that I was insulting the real Atalanta…and she was right," frowned the huntress as she lowered her hand.

"I am a fake, nothing more than a copy created by the Grail and based off the real Chaste Huntress trapped in the Throne of Heroes. I'm no more Atalanta then you are, I'm not real," stated Atalanta sadly.

Issei just grabbed one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "of course you are. So what if you're a copy, a fake. You're still as real as I am, your tears are proof of that."

"You can feel sadness, happiness, pride, these emotions are proof that you're a real person and not just some mindless drone. So you're not the Chaste Huntress, so what? Does that belittle you in some way? No!" he cried, the huntress hanging on his every word.

"That just means you're your own person, you're Atalanta, a member of my family, and the best archer I've ever seen. Be proud of that, after all I fought Artemis," smirked Issei, while Atalanta was silently staring at him.

"Thou's words art kind…thou hast my gratitude Issei, I…I shalt take a quick rest to ponder on what thou hast said," she replied with a blush and yawned before feeling her eyelids grow heavy and exhaustion claimed her.

* * *

"Meleager?" yawned Atalanta as she felt herself snuggled on the lap of another before she froze as her eyes snapped open.

The sight that greeted her was none other than a smiling Issei, "afternoon sleepy head."

Atalanta just blinked in confusion before she stared up at the afternoon sun in the sky, "I slept in? But I haven't done that in…I can't remember how long…"

"Well you should do it more often, you're cute when you sleep," laughed Issei, getting a soft blush from Atalanta.

'If I'm not really Atalanta, am I really bound by her oath? Artemis practically disowned me anyway and besides didn't she break her own oath with Orion?' thought the huntress as her eyes widened and a cat like grin spread across her face.

"Umm Atalanta…if you could please get off my lap I'd greatly appreciate it, my legs have fallen asleep," requested Issei.

"I refuse," answered Atalanta as she glanced up at him. "But if thou truly wishes it, a head massage is a good starting point for negotiations."

Issei blinked in surprise before he began rubbing her ears and soon found himself with a loudly purring Atalanta now once again asleep on his lap. "I hope Tamamo doesn't find out about this," sighed Issei.

* * *

"Caster what's wrong?" asked Lancer.

The fox spirit just looked towards the Archer doorway with a dark, murderous look on her face, "a new challenger approaches."

* * *

 **Saber Include state:**

 **STR: C+**

 **CON: B**

 **AGI: C**

 **MGI: C**

 **LCK: E**

 **Magic Resistance: C**

 **Riding: C**

 **Instinct: C**

The power to 'feel' instinctively how to bring about the best outcome for the user. Due to it's reduced ranking it has lost the ability to function against multiple opponents.

 **Mana Burst: B**

The process in which magical energy is infused into one's weapon and body before being expelled instantly, creating the effect similar to a jet engine through use of large amounts of magical power.

 **Battle Continuation: C**

 **Charisma: -C**

Usually at a –D ranking, after Clarent accepted its wielder the sword provided an increased ranking to this skill when not in its demonic form. The natural talent to command an army it increases the ability of allies during group battles and allows the user to persuade others of their opinion more easily, it also indicates how well liked or 'charismatic' an individual can be.

 **Clarent:** **C**

The Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword that denotes the right of succession of the throne, it is a sword that's worth equals or exceeds Caliburn's. Originally stolen by Mordred when she rebelled, it's true power was locked due to refusing to accept Mordred as it's wielder.

 **Secret of Pedigree: D**

Type: Anti-unit (self)

Maximum number of targets: 1

The helm that Mordred was given by her mother Morgan with the words, 'You must not remove,' and told to wear at all times. Because of this, this Noble Phantasm conceals it's wielder's identity, preventing others from linking any weapons, skills or techniques to the user's real identity. However, it doesn't prevent incorrect guessing the users identity.

The Helm also prevents others from gauging the user's strength, hiding the parameters of the wielder from all but trial and error methods of analysis. The effect of this Noble Phantasm is still in effect when the Helm is not on, but in order to use any other Noble Phantasm it's effects must be removed.

 **Assassin Include State:**

 **STR: E**

 **CON: E**

 **AGI: D**

 **MGI: E**

 **LCK: B**

 **Presence Concealment: D**

 **Executioner: A+**

A skill that increases the user's effectiveness against and ability to execute evil beings.

 **Medical Techniques: A**

A near genius level of understanding of medicine and other medical techniques, this skill passively increases the healing of allies nearby and allows medical procedures performed by the user to be nearly always successful.

 **Human Anatomy Study: C**

A deep understanding of the human body and biology in general, this skill allows the user to have a higher likelihood of hitting a vital spot against a humanoid opponent.

 **La Mort Espoir: B**

Type: Anti-Unit

Maximum number of targets: 1

The embodiment of true execution tools, the guillotine. As the executioner during the times of the French Revolution, Charles-Henri Sanson's name became synonymous with the image of this executioner's tool. Once this Noble Phantasm is activated, the opponent's fate is rewritten so that they are now fated for death at the guillotine's blade. The likelihood of this Noble Phantasm's success is not decided not by powers of resistance against curses or good fortune, but by the victim's strength of heart and ability to defy fate itself.

* * *

 **Alright guys remember how I said I would never do chapters longer than 10,000 words ever again…fuck my life. As for Kokabiel, I didn't go into depth about him as he was more a minor character in this arc which mainly focused on Arthur, Le Fay, Kiba, Issei and Mordred. Next the Omake, no Atlanta is not part of the harem I mean she is the Chaste Huntress after all. But if I was going to add her that would be the only way I could think of doing it.**

 **Anyway, this was by far the hardest chapter for me to write and I still wasn't happy with the result but I decided I'd kept you waiting long enough. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **The next chapter will be the fight between Arthur with a complete Excalibur and everyone else, plus the long awaited match between Clarent and Excalibur…That'll be fun. Also here's a spoiler for next chapter…someone dies. Have fun waiting for the next one.**


	12. The Battle of Camlann

**Alright, so first a reason for the late update and most likely future late updates…one word Overwatch, that game is fucking addictive. Next I'm impressed that a number of people got the Teen Titan vs Justice League reference, which I highly recommend to people who were fans of the original Teen Titans series.**

 **Anyway question time:**

 **Mingyu: Well colour me impressed, you actually read all my shitty previous stuff. Congrats man, also thanks for the comments I appreciate them, I'm glad you liked the Celts. As for my RWBY stuff, I doubt I'll ever continue that since this fic is eating up most of my time.**

 **Dreaddragonknight: Well someone went on a reviewing spree…glad you like the fic mate, Ddraig's interactions are definitely the most fun to write, followed closely by Tamamo's.**

 **Destiny Friend: You're right about Avenger, and no they are not planned to be part of the Harem. Like you said it's pretty obvious why. Now, Medb, after reading the reviews and googling her (I haven't played F/GO in a long time) I can safely say she will definitely be in this story…very soon in fact. As for what Crofty said…well he's onto something…**

 **Also you can play fate/Grand order even if playstore doesn't allow you to. Just download Bluestacks and Qoop, ater that go to Qoop website and search fate grand order. That's how I play. How will the meeting with Avenger eventually go…blood, blood everywhere…**

 **As long as he is in the include state it will stay at three…sorry mate.**

 **Phoenix Paladin: YES SOMEONE FINALLY GOT THAT REFERENCE!**

 **FateLover: Again Medb will be in this story, she just works too damn well not to add her. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit to see more on the Greeks. Also you'll like the end of the chapter. Yep it was a great idea at the time…if Akeno and Koneko hadn't been there.**

 **Crofty666: You're on to something, also thanks for introducing me to Assassination Classroom.**

 **Batman1998: Harem is not going to be the canon one.**

 **Asurau: Glad you liked it.**

 **T51b Moridin: Nah mate, the immunities reset after he exits that state.**

 **Snoogenz: Not really, in canon Fate/Apocrypha it doesn't as it is a power due to her bloodline, she only manifests it as her hatred.**

 **SandInTheEye: Best response ever…of all time.**

 **Wernher von Braun: Launcher, yes. Saver, no. Gunner, if I can think of a good candidate then I might replace Temptress with it. You nailed Ruler.**

 **Suzululu4moe: Yeah, he really is a piece of shit when you look at it from that point of view. As for Berserker's lives, it seems that there is a certain amount of damage that can be obtained in one hit that can take a life. If an attack does more damage then that then it takes multiple lives, however they never gave us a baseline for how much damage it takes to claim a life. So I'm just doing it as every time he dies it claims a life.**

 **Kamigawa Nagamaki: Yorukobe Shounen…**

 **DT-Demon-Trigger: Hmm…that's definitely the next Omake I do.**

 **InfinityMask: Yes, he is. The way I see it is that everyone in the 10 Strongest are in a class of their own. And before people argue with me, look at volume 13's afterword. The author says that Sirzechs and Beelzebub are in that list if they go to their full power. Also clever people will note that, that means that Scathach would also be considered to be in this unofficial list as well.**

 **Karlos1234ify: Probably be seeing more of the festival in later Omakes.**

 **Victory3114: Glad you liked the Omake mate. AS for Heracles, that's what I assumed after seeing UBWs battle with Gilgamesh.**

 **Real-Dreamer: Yep it was good fun.**

 **Akuma-Heika: I'll be purrfectly honest (couldn't resist) I just don't really want to add more to the harem, I feel it's large enough as it is.**

 **Zaralann: I didn't pick Jacky because even though she's an awesome assassin, I don't understand her mind set. With all the character's I've chosen I at least have some idea with how they think and their personality. But Jacky is so mentally unstable I have no idea how she'd react to things which makes it incredibly hard to write her as a character.**

 **Wiereird: Again please look above for why I didn't pick Jacky.**

 **CrimsonBlade11: Well I'm glad you liked Issei and the story.**

 **L33t Hero: I didn't know that Kara no Kyoukai was a thing until you pointed that out, if I had known I would have picked her. Eyes of Death Perception is just so awesome.**

* * *

Rias frowned as she sent a sphere from her Power of Destruction towards one of the Cerberus's, seeing the incoming attack the three headed dog tried to dodge to the side, only to see water appear from nowhere and restrain it in place. The creature bellowed in agony as it was hit by the power before dissolving into nothingness. Rias looked over to Sona and gave her friend a grateful nod of thanks before the duo turned to see the last Cerberus being taken down by the other members of their respective peerages.

Saji was absorbing its strength through his Sacred Gear as Absorption Line wrapped itself around one of the dog's heads, meanwhile Koneko and Tsubasa used their Rook strength to pin it in place. Both peerages using group tactics to safely attack the Cerberus, as if they were a pack of wolves hunting a larger prey. The Cerberus gave one last howl of defiance before it grew quiet as the sword that Kiba had made for Irina changed shape and shot forward, piercing the dog's three heads and braining the helpless beast.

Seeing the last Cerberus dealt with, Rias and the rest of them turned their attention to the fight between Arthur and the others, flinching as they saw the heavily panting and injured Kiba and Xenovia staring at the unharmed descendant. The descendant sighed in exasperation as he raised Excalibur above his head and a circle of black flames briefly surrounded the descendant before dark twisted Holy energies began condensing around the tip of the blade.

All the fighters watched as a Tsubaki placed herself between the approaching onslaught of flames before a large full body mirror appeared in front of her. "Everyone get away from him!" shouted the Queen, making Xenovia and Kiba glance at her and immediately back away from the descendant.

No one said anything as the black tide crashed into the mirror before being absorbed into the Sacred Gear, suddenly the mirror glowed before the black flames shot back out of it at Arthur with ten times the power it had originally. Arthur's eyes widened as he saw this before the descendant was engulfed in his own black flames, as the attack died down everyone saw where Arthur had been standing was reduced to a smoking crater.

"We got him!" cheered Irina, even as Le Fay had a horrified expression on her face.

Suddenly they saw a portal form in front of them and a sinking feeling grew in the combatants as a familiar figure emerged from within it, clutching Caliburn in one hand and Excalibur in the other.

However, Le Fay frowned as she noticed something wrong with Caliburn…it was weak…

To the Devils and exorcists who hadn't been around that blade a full power it would have seemed powerful but Le Fay knew the truth. Caliburn was barely even at half its power as its weak glow was outcompeted by the black light of Excalibur. 'What is going on? Caliburn never acted like that before,' she thought.

"That's not good," muttered Rias as they saw their opponent completely unscathed from the attack. "Tsubaki I don't suppose you could do that again?"

The Sitri Queen shook her head, "Alice Mirror can only be used once before it has to enter a cooldown period."

"Then we're back to the old fashion way," growled Xenovia as the two exorcists as well as the Devils all surrounded Arthur.

Suddenly the sword in Irina's hand shot towards Arthur as the exorcist maneuvered herself into his blind spot, only to see Arthur move at an unnatural speed as he just barely avoided being skewed. However, he didn't escape unscathed as the blade still narrowly cut the hand holding Caliburn, causing the sword to fall from his grasp and sink into the earth.

Satisfied that they had separated him from one of his weapons they all prepared to attack at once, realizing this Arthur gave a low growl of annoyance. "You're in my way, **Sword of Promised Victory…** " he spoke, softly as he raised Excalibur above his head and all they saw was a pulse of black before pain consumed them.

* * *

Kiba Yuuto wasn't quite sure what had just happened, it had seemed like they had forced Arthur into a corner, only for the twisted power of Excalibur to suddenly engulf them before the Devil felt pain across his entire body. Pushing himself to his feet Kiba noticed that he was the only one left awake from the blow as Arthur slowly strode towards Le Fay's unconscious body.

Before he even knew what was happening Kiba felt his body rushing towards Arthur, Holy Eraser clutched tightly in his hand as he attacked the descendant, rage acting as the only driving force to move his body. The descendant lazily blocked the attack as Kiba placed himself between Le Fay and Arthur, getting a frown from the descendant.

"Move Devil, I went easy on you before but if you get in the way of my revenge I'll kill you too," ordered Arthur, getting a soft chuckle from Kiba.

"Don't get me wrong, I hate her just as much as you…but Issei wants her alive and I owe him my life. So I can't let you kill her…besides how can I pass up the chance to kill Arthur Pendragon himself?" grinned Kiba as he met Arthur's stare with one of his own.

"That look in your eyes, they remind me of _his_ ," glared Arthur as he raised Excalibur for a finishing blow…that never came.

Kiba blinked as he saw the masked knight standing before him and blocking the blow that would have decapitated the Devil. "You," hissed Arthur, fury clearly displayed on his face.

"Hello, Poser," growled the knight in a genderless voice. "I heard you wanted to see me. Are you ready to remake the Battle of Camlann?"

Kiba was shocked as he stared at the armoured knight before him, feeling like he had seen the armour and sword before but unable to recall where. Suddenly Arthur retreated back from the interlocking blades as he examined the opponent before him.

"Mordred," growled the descendant.

'Mordred!?" exclaimed Kiba, before erupting into a coughing fit as the rest of the observers began coming to their senses, a soft gasp heard from Le Fay at the sight.

"By the authority of the King I command you to be still," growled Arthur as Excalibur pulsed with a black glow.

"These aren't the droids you're looking for," replied Mordred in an amused tone as the knight did a familiar hand wave and started walking over to him.

The descendant just growled before he tried again with a similar result as Mordred feinted an overhead strike and instead head butted Arthur with her helmeted head. The descendant backed up before he looked at something behind her and Excalibur gave another pulse of black energy.

"By the authority of the King I command you..." begun Arthur, getting a disappointed shake of the head from Mordred.

"Again, Poser? You should know by now that doesn't work on me," muttered the knight.

Arthur ignored this interruption as he continued, "…all to kill Mordred Pendragon."

"What?" muttered the Knight in confusion before a sphere of pure energy slammed into her and dissolved a fraction of her armour.

Mordred quickly turned to see Rias with another black sphere forming as the rest of the observers got up from the ground, a blank expression on their faces as the Knight realized her predicament. The only one that seemed to be struggling against the power of Excalibur was Kiba, the Devil's face scrunched into an expression of concentration.

"You would bring others into our quarrel, Poser?" she snarled in fury.

Suddenly lightning shot out from Akeno's hand and rushed towards the Knight of Treachery whom disappeared in a burst of movement before slamming her fist into the Akeno's face, knocking the already weakened Devil out. Mordred then blocked a strike from Durandal with Clarent as Xenovia tried to take advantage of the opening, only for the exorcist to struggle to hold off the retaliatory strike by the Knight.

Mordred forced Xenovia away from her as she dived out of the way of another black sphere from Rias, realizing the damage the heiress could now do to her. The Knight rushed the Gremory heiress as she tried to get in close to disable the Devil, only for a line to wrap itself around her shoulder. Instantly Mordred felt her strength getting drained from this line as she turned to see Saji restraining her with his Sacred Gear.

Growling in frustration she grabbed the line and pulled, staggering Saji before the Devil was sent flying towards her, only to be clothes lined by the Knight. As Saji fell down unconscious Irina ran up to Mordred with the sword Kiba gave her turning into a Katana. Upon seeing this it seemed that the Knight of Treachery hesitated briefly before a low sigh escaped her as she slammed the flat end of Clarent into the exorcist's head, knocking another fighter out of the brawl.

"Sorry Iri," whispered the Knight softly.

Ignoring the rest of the fighters Mordred turned her attention back to the biggest threat, Rias Gremory, whom was charging yet another black sphere. This time activating _Prana Burst_ Mordred easily closed the distance between them before any of the other fighters could react. The Gremory heiress received a chop to the back of her neck as she collapsed to the ground, only for Mordred to groan slightly as a blade of high pressure water created a narrow cut along her arm.

The Knight then sighed as Sona sent another attack at her, a blue magical circle glowing around the Sitri heiress' hand as her Queen Tsubaki rushed at Mordred with her naginata viciously stabbing at her gut. The Knight dodged with a half turn before slicing Tsubaki's naginata cleanly in two as Clarent bisected the weapon, causing the Devil to stumbled as she was grabbed by the throat and hurled into Sona.

The Queen and King of the Sitri peerage fell over in a tangle of limbs while Koneko grabbed Mordred and used her Rook enhanced strength to lift the Knight off the ground before attempting to pile drive her into the earth. Mordred only just brought her hands up to stop herself from hitting the ground head first, unfortunately leaving herself open to a powerful right hook to her unprotected face.

Mordred swayed briefly as she got to her feet and used Clarent to break apart debris that was being thrown at her by the Rook. Koneko continued trying to throw debris at the Knight but after seeing it failing she changed strategies. Mordred frowned as she saw cat ears and a tail appear on the rook before blue flames grew in her hands, the knight being forced to dodge the majority of the flames that came rushing towards her.

However, before long the Rook's blank expression began to change as she started using Senjutsu to absorb the surrounding energies flowing around them, including the corrupt Holy power of Excalibur. Koneko froze and immediately started screaming in horror as more and more of the corrupt power entered her body.

Using this as an opening Mordred smashed into the Rook and attempted to knocked her out, only for Koneko to glare up at her a familiar madness appearing in her eyes. Mordred took a step back as everyone saw the Devil's teeth become shape fangs, shadows beginning to obscure her face as more and more corrupt and malevolent energies flowed into the former Nekoshou.

"Koneko…no don't…" coughed out Kiba as the only Devil left with free will realized what was happening.

Koneko just let out a high pitch screech as she leapt towards Sona's Knight Tomoe, the Devil's apparent Senjutsu induced madness breaking whatever hold Ruler had over the former Nekoshou. The Rook crushed the bones in Tomoe's arm, the limb in question giving a loud crack before hanging limp at her side.

The next victim of the crazed Devil was Asia as the nun finally entered the combat zone, a disturbingly blank look on her face thanks to Ruler's influence, which didn't change as she was burnt by Koneko's blue flames and sent flying from one of her enhanced punches to the gut.

Mordred flinched slightly as she heard the bones in the nun's rib cage crack slightly from the blow before Asia fell to the ground, the only signs of life coming from the nun was her shallow breathing. Finally, the insane former Nekoshou turned to face Mordred again as a beastly snarl grew on her face and her body was surrounded by some kind of power as she got onto all fours like an animal. In fact, it seemed like the Devil had even grown a second tail. This one having the same sense of wrongness that Excalibur had as instead of white like the rest of her fur it was a rotted and decaying black colour.

Mordred grunted in exertion as she blocked a blow from the Devil, skidding back a few feet from the force of the attack. "So this is Senjutsu? I'll admit it's impressive," admitted the Knight of Treachery, getting another high pitched squeal in response.

Faster than most could see, Koneko feinted an uppercut before slamming a right hook into the knight's already battered looking armour, which left a dent in the magically reinforced armour. However, Koneko wasn't the only one that could be brutal as Mordred grabbed the Rook by the throat and began to squeeze.

The Knight of Treachery ignored the retaliating kicks that were sent her way, even as she felt pain erupting from each one that impacted despite the armour protecting her. But, not even the most powerful of monsters could survive without breathing and so eventually the destructive aura surrounding Koneko dispersed as the former Nekoshou was finally knocked out from a lack of oxygen. After confirm that it wasn't an act Mordred then set the body gently down on the floor, watching as the second tail vanished from Koneko's body.

With the major threats taken care of the rest of the Devils were quickly knocked out and as Mordred stood over the unconscious body of Ruruko, Xenovia suddenly appeared behind her with Durandal swinging at her chest. Mordred immediately spun around to block the blow was the earth beneath her cracked from the force of Durandal's blade meeting her own.

Suddenly Xenovia was pushed off Mordred as Kiba crashed tackled her to the ground, catching the exorcist off guard as he stabbed her with the electrified sword he'd used during his spar with Issei. Xenovia briefly cried out in pain before she was immobilized by the electricity, allowing Kiba to climb off the exorcist and turn to Mordred and Arthur. The Knight of Treachery gave the Devil a grateful nod as Kiba smiled and collapsed to the ground in pain and exhaustion, the mental strain of fighting off Ruler's influence clearly draining him beyond measure. Throughout it all Arthur had done nothing, choosing instead to watch and examine Mordred's power and ability against the Devil's and exorcists.

"You're getting sloppy Mordred, or are you just exhausted? You should have known better to enter this fight in your current state," growled Arthur as the only two fighters left still standing turned to face each other.

The masked knight panted as she grasped the sword in her hand tightly and swayed slightly on her feet, the first signs of exhaustion beginning to appear. Suddenly Excalibur changed shape as it snaked around Clarent before constricting around it, getting a surprised grunt from Mordred as the blade was wrenched from her grip by Arthur's sword. The knight could only watch as Clarent went sailing out of her hands and sent flying into the ground far away from the two fighters.

Mordred then activated _Prana Burst_ as she rushed towards Clarent but Arthur merely matched her speed, causing the knight to stumble in surprise as she narrowly missed the sword coming into her head. "You're fast Mordred, but nothing is faster than Rapidly," growled Arthur as Excalibur in his hands briefly pulsed with a dark light.

"You and your toys are beginning to become an annoyance, Poser," panted Mordred tiredly, even as a low growl escaped her throat and she ducked under the black blade that was swung over her head.

The two fighters became a blur that even Kiba struggled to track as they disappeared in a burst of movement, Mordred only just barely avoiding Excalibur's blade with each strike. Finally, it seemed that what was left of Arthur's fragile self-control evaporated as he roared in frustration and swung his sword in a vicious downwards strike.

Mordred desperately rolled to the side as she attempted to avoid the strike but cried out in pain as the blade slammed into her armoured shoulder, denting the knight's armour from the force of the attack and sending her flying.

The Knight of Treachery's body came to a sudden stop as it hit a large metal object sticking out of the earth and Kiba's eyes widened as he saw the helmet covering the knight's face fold into her armour to reveal the tired and bloodied face of the girl beneath it. 'That's Mordred?' questioned knight in confusion.

However, the Devil's thoughts were interrupted as he saw Arthur walk over to the downed form of the knight, his sword raised for the killing blow. Seeing this Mordred quickly grabbed the metal object she had slammed into before pulling it out of the ground, already knowing that normal metal wouldn't even cause the blade to slow and yet refusing to just lay down and die.

"I have to protect them; I won't let you start another war! I WON'T LET YOU INSULT 'HIS' NAME!" shouted the Knight of Treachery, before a massive surge of power filled Mordred.

And so Excalibur fell upon the knight…only for the two fighters to be engulfed in a bright white light as a loud clang echoed around the battlefield.

It was at this moment that the others began to regain consciousness again as the brilliant white light passed over them, causing the Devils to both flinch in pain and breathe a sigh of relief as they felt the familiar massive Holy Energy wash over them, pushing back the corrupt _wrongness_ they got from Excalibur. As the white light died down everyone, including Mordred and Arthur, had a shocked expression on their faces as they saw Caliburn radiating a massive power as it blocked Excalibur.

"What?" muttered Mordred with a soft whisper as she gazed at the sword gleaming in her hands, humming with Holy power.

Arthur just gained a furious look on his face before he snarled, "you dare to touch the Sword of Appointment! You dare use it against me!"

Mordred snapped out of her daze at his yells before she brought Caliburn up to block the blow, the twisted and pure Holy Energies clashing against each other as the Holy power being emitted from Caliburn skyrocketed. And so the two fighters were each surrounded by their respective glows, a pure white on Mordred's side and a deep darkness on Arthur's.

It was then that everyone realized why Caliburn was known as the strongest Holy Sword in existence, as the Ultimate Holy Sword matched the power being given off by Excalibur, its white glow growing even stronger by the second. For the first time a look of strain appeared on Arthur's face as he was slowly pushed back by Mordred, whom brought the blade down in a vicious two-handed overhead strike.

For the observers it had seemed that the world had turned a shade of monochrome as the twin lights spread out to encompass the entire battlefield and bathing everything in either a black or white colour. The Devils struggled to breathe from the amount of Holy power surrounding them from the two massively powerful Holy Swords.

Suddenly Mordred blinked in shock as Arthur and his blade became invisible, Caliburn passing through nothing but air as the knight brought her blade back up to a ready position. Mordred then started searching for the descendant only for her Instincts skill to scream at her at where to place her blade. Another loud clang rang out as Mordred's blade blocked a strike to her head, briefly revealing Arthur before he disappeared again.

Kiba watched as the Knight of Treachery just barely held off every assault, one of her eyes forced shut as blood ran down from the shallow cut above it. 'She's going to lose at this rate, she can't fight him if she can't see him,' he realized, struggling to resist the crushing power of the two power Holy swords as he got to his feet.

'So let's take that advantage away from him,' grinned Kiba, as a plan began forming in his mind. Taking a deep breath, the Devil reached into the last reserves of strength he had left as he activated his Sacred Gear, a demonic sword beginning to form in his mind.

Feeling the comforting weight in his hands the Devil smirked as he struggled to an empty space unnoticed by either combatant as they were too focused on the other to worry about the weakened Devil. That was until he erupted into a quick burst of speed as he made to stab the empty space only for Arthur to reveal himself standing there with a Kiba's sword held inches from his face.

"Transparency is a powerful blade, but even if it can hide you from my sight. It can't hide your heartbeat, Sword Birth really is useful isn't it?" smirked Kiba, making both Mordred and Arthur blink in surprise at the Devil.

Arthur growled as he pushed the weakened Devil away from him and raised Excalibur in order to finish off the pesky Devil, immediately Mordred forced him to stop as she closed the distance with _Prana Burst_ and knocked the descendant away from Kiba. Again Arthur disappeared as he avoided Mordred's strike, causing the Knight of Treachery to growl in frustration.

"Swing your blade to the left now!" ordered Kiba, getting a confused frown from Mordred as she did so which turned to a feral grin as Caliburn smashed into Excalibur and sent the descendant flying.

Together Kiba and Mordred made Arthur's invisibility useless as they continued retailing against him and eventually the descendant roared in frustration as he turned to Kiba now standing with the rest of the observers at a relatively safe distance.

Excalibur in his hands then began glowing it's sickening black colour as a massive torrent of flames rushed towards Kiba and the rest of the helpless observers. Sona tried to create a shield for them but it was shattered in an instant as the black flames continued on their murderous course.

Kiba closed his eyes with a sigh as he felt the heat of the flames growing hotter and waited for the inevitable…that never came. Realizing he should be dead by now Kiba opened his eyes to see Mordred standing in front of them with Caliburn's glow brighter than ever as a massive portal formed between them and the approaching fire.

"Hey, Poser? Want to see a trick a certain troll taught me?" smirked Mordred.

Kiba's eyes widened as he saw the flames flow into the portal before it shut, the Knight of Treachery smiling as she then swung Caliburn back down and the black flames spewed forth from the portal she'd just created and rushed towards Arthur. The descendant blinked before he dived to the side to avoid his own attack that was heading towards him, only for his blade to turn into a shield as he blocked Caliburn's blow and used Rapidly to escape.

As the descendant retreated to a safe distance he frowned and stabbed his sword into the ground, a deep darkness spreading across the battlefield. Everyone but Mordred, Arthur and Le Fay gasped as the surroundings changed to that of a burning blood stained field, the smell of charred bodies filling their noses.

"What…what is this horrible place?" gasped Rias, making Le Fay frown.

"This is Camlann or what was left of it after the battle, I knew Nightmare could make illusions but nothing of this scale or detail," replied the witch.

There was silence at this declaration as everyone turned back to look at the clashing Pendragon descendants with no small amount of awe, as they realized they were watching history repeating itself. Neither Arthur or Mordred broke the silence either as the descendant kept his gaze locked on Mordred and the knight soon did the same after looking around the battlefield with weary eyes.

' _It's your fault! You killed him! You destroyed our home! Our Utopia! You and Morgan shall pay!_ ' whispered thousands of voices at once as the flames glinted off Mordred's armour and giving the knight a hellish look.

Mordred then saw the familiar sight of two armoured figures clashing, one had been run through with a lance while the other had a sword buried deep into their chest. The Knight of Treachery flinched as the image faded away and the whispers grew louder, sounding as if they were souls of the damned and cursing her with every breath.

"Are you satisfied? Bringing up the sins of the past like this?" she asked, in a tired voice.

"No not yet, I still have Nightmares to show you," growled Arthur as Excalibur began glowing again and Mordred saw a smoky black fog seep out of the blade and form into a familiar image.

"But how? That's not possible… 'father?'" muttered Mordred as Caliburn fell from suddenly numb hands.

To the observers it had seemed that the Knight of Treachery had just become petrified in fear as she stared at empty air, Arthur quickly walking over to the discarded Caliburn as Mordred stayed stock still. "Nightmares of our own making are always more terrifying then anything the world can show us," he muttered, as he stared at Mordred and the illusion of Camlann faded away.

The descendant then raised his blade to decapitate the unmoving knight, only for an armoured fist to crash into his face and send him reeling. Mordred then rushed over to Clarent as Arthur recovered and spun to stare at her in shock.

"How did you break that illusion?" he demanded, angrily Caliburn's glow disappearing as the blade fell hilt first into the earth.

"Against just Mordred, that would have worked…" began Mordred as her heterochromatic eyes briefly changed to a familiar chocolate brown. "But Mordred isn't the only one you're fighting…Arthur."

A smirk then grew on Mordred's face as her eyes returned to normal, "and besides having B ranked Magic Resistance helps."

Le Fay was watching as the two Pendragon members continued trying to kill each other, both clearly tired and injured beyond measure as they panted and blood poured from all their wounds. 'This can't go on, it's my fault…I have to stop this!' she realized.

Before anyone could react the descendant of Morgan ran out towards the two fighters as a brief lull occurred while they recovered their strength. "Enough please you need to stop, I beg of you!" cried the witch.

"Damn it girl! Get out of the way, that man is not your brother anymore!" screamed the red knight as they watched Le Fay place herself between the two fighters.

"Shut up, I won't let you hurt him!" cried the descendant, tears streaming down her face as she turned to face her brother.

Arthur just stared at his sibling, the tainted sword clutched in his grasp giving off another horrid glow as an expression of rage crossed his face. "Morgan Le Fay," he hissed, everyone's eyes widening as he raised his sword at his own sister.

"Damn it girl, MOVE!" ordered the female knight as she disappeared in a burst of movement, rushing to block the incoming strike.

 _Prana Burst_ was fast…but this time…it wasn't fast enough…

"Brother?" came the confused whisper from the tear filled Le Fay as she stared down at Excalibur that had been run through her own chest…before collapsing to the ground with the expression of shock still clear on her face.

Everyone was stunned, even Mordred stood still and silent with a sympathetic frown on her face as she stared at the Pendragon siblings, watching as Le Fay weakly raised her hand to her brother with a sad smile on her face.

The descendant of Morgan coughed as she gripped the hands on the hilt of the sword still embedded in her body and a soft whisper was heard over the now silent battlefield. "It's not…your…fault…remember that…no matter what…I'm glad…you're my brother," struggled Le Fay, her voice wheezing as blood began to fill her lungs with each breath, until her chest rose for the last time and she grew still.

And just like that Le Fay Pendragon died…

Arthur stared down at the corpse of his sister before removing his sword from her chest and turning to face Mordred with hatred on his face, the red knight just looked down at the bloodied corpse of Le Fay before turning back to face him with a sad expression.

"Hatred is a powerful tool, isn't it?" she stated, glancing at Clarent clutched in her hands. "But, it is also dangerous, all consuming, tainting everything it can corrupt. I know all too well how it feels to lose oneself to its influence, tell me Poser, how does it feel?"

"How does it feel to care about nothing but destruction? How does it feel to wield that kind of self-destructive power?" asked Mordred, and Kiba frowned as she turned to face him before continuing.

"Hatred can almost always ensure your victory, but at what cost? What do you sacrifice for it? Your friends? Your family? Your future? What about those who sacrificed themselves for you? Do you intend to make their efforts worthless?" lectured Mordred, and Kiba's eyes widened as long buried memories resurfaced.

" _Come on Kiba let's play!" cheered the small girl next to him._

 _Suddenly the image switched to all his friends holding back the guards as they were killed off one by one, while another pushed Kiba to the open window. "Kiba please, you must live," he muttered before pushing Kiba out the window._

" _Live your life and be free," was the last thing he heard before the image faded away._

The Devil felt tears well up in his eyes as his vision blurred, the Knight then felt what almost seemed like a hand on his shoulder. Looking up Kiba blinked as he could have sworn he saw the ethereal images of his dead friends smiling at him.

"Hatred can bind you to the past, and jeopardize your future if you let it. Your friends died to help you Kiba Yuuto, however that is the past. Remember them, grieve for them, but do not let them control you, focus on the happy memories you made with them, do not taint their memories with hatred," informed Mordred as a small smile grew on her face.

"You had a terrible past but it is just that, the past. You need to put it behind you and instead focus on the friends you've made now; after all it's called the present for a reason. Besides, I doubt that they'd want you to live your life like this," concluded the knight of Treachery as Kiba felt the hand on his shoulder let go.

Looking back to his ethereal friends he saw them smile and nod at him one last time before slowly dispersing one by one. 'What have I been doing?' questioned the Gremory Knight as tears began rolling down his face, his friend's faces slowly disappearing as images of Rias and the rest of his fellow Devils replaced them.

Seeing Kiba beginning to weep Mordred turned back to Arthur whom still hadn't moved from his sister's corpse and frowned, "look at her Arthur! This is what your hatred has given you, a dead sister who believed in you right until the very end…killed by your own hands."

For the first time there was a sign of movement from Arthur as a tiny flinch occurred at this comment, something that didn't escape the notice of Mordred. "And so here we stand, two Pendragon members guilty of murdering their family in fits of hatred. Understand? In your hatred for me, you have become the very thing you sought to destroy," she continued with a glare, only for Arthur to begin trembling in rage.

"You…you dare to lecture me. YOU INBRED BASTARD!" he screamed as Excalibur began glowing it's sickening colour as he lifted the blade above his head.

"So be it, it looks like you won't come to your senses until I destroy that little toy of yours," growled the female knight as she lifted Clarent above her head.

The observers just watched in stunned awe as Arthur was surrounded in the same black holy light that had beaten them in an instant, the power coming off the blade exceeding the energy that he had used against them. And yet, Kiba frowned as he saw that Mordred didn't even seem phased by this power as her own blade was surrounded by crackling crimson lightning.

Suddenly the ground around Mordred became covered in blood as everyone saw Clarent begin to glow with a wicked red light before beginning to transform. Gone was the Radiant and Brilliant Royal blade and in its place was a twisted blood red demonic sword, and yet despite that…everyone preferred the wicked demonic blade to the twisted holy sword in front of them. Indeed, despite the blade being demonic in origin everyone, even the exorcists from the church, felt a reassuring calm coming from the blade.

After all, Clarent was originally the symbol of peace and prosperity, whether it was demonic or holy that had not changed, now for the first time it was being wielded as intended…and this time it would not be found wanting. Where there was once nothing but mindless hatred powering the blade, now there was naught a drop to be found, only determination and most of all…a deep pride for the blade that was once hated by its wielder.

"A Holy Sword that can become a Demonic one," gasped Kiba in admiration as he stared at Clarent, the image of the sword burning into his mind.

"You know it's kind of ironic, don't you think?" smirked Mordred as the crimson lightning surrounding her blade grew. "Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, trying to prevent a war while the descendant of the King of Knights is trying to start one."

Arthur's only response was to growl furiously as Excalibur's black glow increased until it had formed the shape of a massive sword made of black energy, purple lightning arcing around him as black flames formed a circle surrounding the descendant. The Devils watching the two fighters started sweating as they felt the amount of Holy energy massing in the Holy sword and yet…as they looked over to Mordred they were shocked that Clarent was matching its power and even surpassing it.

" **Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father…** " growled Mordred as the crimson lightning condensed into the demonic blade's end.

" **Sword Of Promised Victory…** " answered Arthur in kind as the very earth began shaking from the forces now swirling around the two fighters.

"… **Clarent Blood Arthur!** " shouted the Knight of Treachery, unleashing a wave of crimson lightning towards her opponent.

"… **Excalibur Morgan!** " snarled the descendant and a torrent of black flames rushed forward to meet this oncoming attack.

And so the earth shuddered as the two powerful weapons clashed once again and the past began to repeat itself, as if the very memory of the Battle of Camlann had scared the world itself. On one side a deep darkness of black flames consuming everything it touched in its mad dash towards its prey, not even light escaping its wrath. Deep within the writhing darkness they all felt it, the anger, the hate, the twisted and corrupt power swirling around them.

What possible power could even hope to match, let alone beat this horrifying mockery of a legend before them?

Indeed, it should have been impossible and yet…

As they looked at the other side a small fragment of hope began to grow within them as they saw the crimson light rushing to meet its foe. The bloodied ground around Mordred growing outwards as the red lightning continued glowing brighter until it eclipsed even the light from the moon, bathing the surroundings in its crimson glow.

And so the deep darkness and bright light clashed with a loud booming as each sought to dominate the other with their power. The heat was astronomical as the black torrent of flames and crimson lightning battled each other, making the nearby plants spontaneously catch alight and metal to melt as shockwaves of heat and energy blasted the observers off their feet.

Yet despite these distractions neither of the two fighters removed their gaze from the other as they continued to flood more power into their respective weapons, even as the earth beneath their feet began to break apart. There were no words exchanged between them, no insults or boasts, just mirrored expressions of determination on both their faces as the two forces tried to break the stalemate.

However, what little hope the observers had now kindled was destroyed as they watched Clarent's red lighting slowly get push back bit by bit. The Knight being forced back a step as her Battle Continuation was finally unable to fight off the exhaustion from all the fights of the past two days. Suddenly there was an explosion of black as Excalibur's black torrent overwhelmed the weakening power of Clarent's lightning, the dark flames slamming into Mordred's armoured form.

As the black glow died down they all saw Mordred, panting as she coughed up blood and using her sword as a crutch to stand up. "That's some powerful toy you got their Poser, but my father's sword would have killed me in one hit. I guess it's time to step this up a notch," grinned the Knight, seemingly uncaring about the damage she had sustained.

Suddenly Mordred's eyes seemed to gain draconic slits before they started glowing a bright green as the green gems soon followed suite. The knight's teeth seemed to become almost fang like as she gained a toothy grin on her face, excitement and blood lust beginning to leak off her in increasing amounts, the green glow around her growing brighter with every second.

"Did you know Poser? The story of the Pendragon family and the Red and White Dragons?" she growled, softly.

There was silence as two ethereal creatures began to seep out of the gems and form around the knight, the observers could only gasp in silent shock as the twin white and red ghostly dragons glared down at Arthur. Snapping out of his daze the descendant quickly flooded power into Excalibur, once again being consumed in its black glow as Clarent began doing the same.

"The two dragons were some of the most powerful beings to ever have existed and had been fighting each other for as long as either could remember. One day their fight leads them to Britain where they were tricked into napping by the mortals and trapped within the earth, never to bother others again. Or so they thought," smirked the knight, her voice easily piercing the sound of the raging energies from Clarent and Excalibur, even as the twin dragons roared in fury.

There was silence around the battlefield as the observers just watched the two dragons grow to the size of the school building as the slowly circled Mordred, appearing to be almost be swimming in the air as they gracefully flowed around the battlefield. The two dragons were constantly trying to bite each other as they fought, their ghostly images destroying nearby structures and knocking many off their feet.

"Then one day a King wanted to build a castle on the very land which the dragons were buried, only to find his castle destroyed every night. Desperate he sought the help of a child named Merlin whom told the King to dug up the land around him, freeing the trapped dragons to continue their rampage," continued Mordred.

Arthur said nothing as he stared at the two giant dragons and, for the first time, a spark of awe managed to pierced the veil of hate that had consumed the descendant. However, this was quickly banished as Excalibur gave another horrid black glow and hate once again filled his mind.

"The King was then told that this was a sign that his heir shall rule all of Britain, hearing this he then ordered Merlin to take some of the lingering dragons' power and give it to his successor. And so his successor was blessed with the power of the two dragons, that King was called Uther Pendragon," spoke the knight in a soft tone.

"As time went on it would seem that he succeeded as his heir won victory after victory and eventually, 'his' subjects began believing 'him' and 'his' family to be blessed by the dragons, and even started calling the King a 'dragon in human form.' And not just any dragon but the 'head of dragons,'" explained Mordred as the draconic features on her body became more prominent.

"Then one day the King's sister, Morgan Le Fay, created a homunculus using the King's own blood, a clone with all the blessings of heritage that the King had to fight 'him.' And so once again two dragons fought each other on Britain's soil, destroying thousands in their wake just like their predecessors had. Tell me, do you know what the two dragons that started this were called?" she concluded, showing off her sharp fangs.

Suddenly the twin dragons stopped their fighting as they slowly turned to the still form of Arthur and his black Excalibur and gave another ear shattering roar. "By right of Blood and the name Pendragon, with the belief of the people and the memories of the Dragon stored inside me to give you form. I call upon you both now...Ddraig, Albion!" shouted Mordred.

 **Blessing of the Pendragons: Twin Guardians of the Dragon Throne!**

The Knight's boots and gauntlets now had become spiked where the toes and fingers were, as the White Dragon rushed towards Excalibur's black flames while its red counterpart entered Clarent's blade. Arthur's eyes widened as he felt the power of Excalibur's attack grow weaker as soon as the White Dragon hit it, as if the dragon was _dividing_ it. To make it worse another burst of crimson lightning erupted from Clarent and suddenly the force of the attack skyrocketed as the Red Dragon continued funneling itself into the Demonic sword, as if the dragon was _boosting_ the demonic sword's power.

Everyone watched as the bloodied ground surrounding Mordred began turning into a welcoming grassland, and a calm feeling washed over everyone watching the fight. The red glow of her sword began to be mixed in with a bright green of her gems as the multi coloured lightning surged forwards and pushed the dark flames back.

Like a sword piercing through flesh the lightning cut through the black flames, the White Dragon's glow absorbing the sickening black glow of Excalibur as the red lightning rushed towards Arthur, and with the black light rescinding so too did the despair that the observers were feeling. For they knew that darkness was just the absence of light…and now, that light had returned to banish the darkness once again.

They knew that as long as that light remained, there was still hope…

Arthur's eyes widened at this sudden reversal of fortunes as Excalibur's flames were pushed back by the increasing power of Clarent's lightning…then he saw it…

As the light pushed through his darkness he could have sworn that, just before he was consumed by it, he saw the lightning form into the shape of the Red Dragon, its jaw open wide to engulf him. The descendant quickly brought Excalibur up to stab the dragon, the blade giving off another black glow as it met the Red Dragon.

However, the White Dragon rushed to aid its Red brethren, it's brilliant pure white glow slowly encroaching upon the darkness and paving the way for the Red Dragon. Together the two dragons began to surround the descendant whom was beginning to gain a shocked expression on his face.

To the observers it looked it a black hole was surrounded two raging ethereal dragons that were moving in unison and slowly constricting both it and its wielder. For a moment there was silence as everyone watched with baited breath, realizing this would be the deciding moment.

Suddenly both Mordred and the dragons gave a roar as the knight's skin began to change, almost resembling scales as the green glow in her gems and eyes increased in power. The Red Dragon then grew in power as its jaw closed around the shrinking sphere of darkness and there was an explosion of light that blinded everyone and knocked them off their feet.

As the light died down everyone saw Mordred along with Clarent standing tall and proud as the green glow in her eyes and gems disappeared, her teeth and skin back to normal and Clarent returned to its normal, beautiful form. The two ethereal dragons once again gracefully flying around her as the sun began peeking out over the horizon and bathed the three of them in its light. There was a deep silence as everyone stared at the dragons, no wind, no animals calling, just a deep silence as if the very world itself was in shock at seeing the White and Red Dragons working together.

In contrast to all this, Arthur was sprawled across the ground, Excalibur laying in pieces all around him as the sickening green from his eyes disappeared and he groaned. Seeing this Mordred looked over to the downed descendant as the dragons slowly seeped back into the gems in her armour.

"Pathetic, my father's real blade would never have shattered like that," scoffed Mordred as she walked over to Arthur, whom was gradually coming to his senses.

The Knight ignored him as she examined the fragments of the broken blade in front of her, "so this really is all that's left of his blade? The Church really did desecrate it; how dare they use these pieces to make mockeries of Excalibur!"

With a growl Mordred then picked up the fragments of the blade in her hand…before squeezing…

No one said a word as they watched in shock as the last remaining fragments of Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, was destroyed. Ending the legend of the most powerful Holy Sword once and for all as the knight opened her hand to reveal the fragments to be nothing but dust.

"Rest easy father, your blade shall be desecrated no longer," whispered Mordred as she watched the dust get carried away by a gust of wind.

The knight then turned to face Arthur whom was getting to his feet, clutching his head in pain before the descendant's eyes came upon Le Fay's body and an expression of horror crossed his face. "Le Fay…oh God, what have I done? Le Fay please wake up!" begged Arthur as he rushed over to his sister's side, not seeming to care about the demonic sword that was placed upon his neck.

"She's dead Poser, now yield," demanded a female voice as Arthur glanced up to see the Knight of Treachery holding Clarent against his throat.

"NO! She can't be dead! Wake up Le Fay, wake up!" denied Arthur as he frantically shook his sister's body, causing a loud growl to escape Mordred.

Suddenly Arthur felt the sword being removed from his neck before an armoured fist went sailing into his face, knocking the descendant to the ground as his glasses fell of his face. "I said she is dead! Do not mock her sacrifice by losing control of yourself once again!" snarled the Knight as she again readied another punch.

"Now yield!" she demanded, glaring at Arthur in fury that eventually evolved into sadness as she stared at the crying descendant.

Mordred finally lowered Clarent, realizing there was no need for it as she picked up Arthur's glasses off the ground and offered them to the despairing descendant. Arthur briefly looked up to the knight as she held out his glasses before hesitantly taking them from her.

"For what it's worth you have my sympathies, Poser," she stated, getting a surprised look from Arthur as she stepped aside to let him near his sister's corpse. "Say your goodbyes, and take all the time you need."

"Thank you," muttered the descendant softly as he stood over Le Fay's body.

"You want your sister back? We can arrange that," interrupted a female voice.

Mordred's eyes widened as she saw Rias approach them and turned to face Arthur as she held out her Bishop piece to him. "I believe you know what this is?" she asked, causing both their eyes to widen.

"An Evil Piece," replied Mordred with a frown before turning to Arthur. "The choice is yours's Poser, just make sure you don't regret it."

'I should say no, after all this will provide a massive security leak for Khaos Brigade, and even if she is revived they might send assassins after her. Not to mention she'd become a slave of the Devils…but out of all the Pillars, the Gremory did have a reputation for treating their servants like family,' debated the descendant.

His inner turmoil must have shown on his face as he saw Rias frown, "I need a decision now. If we wait any longer than we will lose the chance to bring her back."

Arthur was silent as he looked between the offered chess piece and his sister's body before sighing, "what do you want in exchange?"

Rias just glared at him, "normally I'd have you join as my new Knight or Pawn but sadly that's not an option this time."

"Why?" questioned Mordred in confusion.

"Le Fay's involvement in this is debacle of your family feud is small and we all saw you kill her when she attempted to stop her brother. Or at least that's what the report shall read, being an heiress has its advantages," smirked the Devil.

"But there is no way I can cover up the damage _you_ caused to everyone, especially with members of the Church watching," whispered Rias, softly to Arthur as she glanced at Xenovia whom was occupied by helping her friend Irina.

"I see, so then what's your payment then?" asked Arthur with a sigh.

A hardened expression appeared on the heiress' face, "simple, once I make her a Devil then you will not attempt to see her, you will not attempt talk to her, you will not attempt to visit her, you will not be allowed to have any form of communication with her at all."

Arthur's expression became a textbook definition of horror as he stared at the Devil, meanwhile Mordred had a surprised look on her face before her eyes narrowed. "You would separate him from his family? You truly are a Devil aren't you?" growled the Knight of Treachery in a disapproving tone.

Rias turned to face the knight, "would you rather he leaves without being punished? After what he has done?"

"No," admitted Mordred as her mask folded back out of her armour to cover her face. "But in that case there is no need to bring his sister back."

"She is a good magician and I'm in need of new peerage members, but I will not have one that will stab us in the back. However, if her brother agreed to let me revive her, that should ensure her loyalty," replied Rias.

"But tha-"

"Do it," interrupted Arthur as he stood up from the ground. "Do this and I swear that I shall never even come near her again, just…promise me that she will be looked after."

"I swear as a member of the Gremory Household that I will take care of her as if she was my own sister," promised Rias, as her expression softened slightly.

Arthur got up and stepped away from Le Fay's body as Rias slowly approached her still form, her Evil Piece beginning to give off a bright red glow as the Devil knelt down before the body. There was silence as Rias gently pushed the Bishop into Le Fay's chest, no one said a word as they waited. Sure enough, they all heard a quiet gasp before the wounds on Le Fay's body began to close up.

Xenovia approached them shortly after and quickly glanced at Le Fay's now breathing body but said nothing as she turned to all of them. "Now what to do with you," muttered Xenovia as she pointed Durandal at Arthur.

"I'll deal with him," announced Mordred, making everyone spin to face her in surprise as the knight stood between them and Arthur.

"You?" repeated Sona as she approached them.

"I'll take him back to the Pendragon family, we wish to deal with this issue personally. I'm sure you can understand," elaborated the Knight, making Arthur's eye widen slightly.

"This man just tried to assassinate two heiresses of the 72 Pillar's Clans and plunge the supernatural world into another war. You expect us to just let you take him?" scoffed the Sitri heiress.

"The Church would definitely want to interrogate him," agreed Xenovia with a frown.

"Then Devils and Church members can be present during the Pendragon interrogation, just inform the Pendragon family to organize it, provided of course that they keep everything at a need to know basis," replied Mordred, causing Arthur blink in surprise.

"That sounds reasonable," muttered Sona as both Rias and Xenovia nodded in agreement, again surprising the descendant as he looked at all of them.

"Wait, where's Issei?! He was supposed to be fighting Kokabiel!" cried Irina, making everyone freeze and Arthur frowned as he heard Mordred begin cursing softly.

"Don't worry he's fine, I passed him on the way here. He's unconscious from exhaustion but I suppose that's to be expected from a human killing a leader of the Grigori," replied the Knight of Treachery, and everyone could hear a pin drop as they tried to comprehend what she just said.

"Issei…managed to kill Kokabiel?" repeated Rias in shock, remembering the power of the Fallen Angel and causing Mordred to nod before she grabbed Arthur and began walking him down the streets.

"Don't forget Caliburn," reminded Irina stopping them both as she tried to pull the sword out of the earth, only to no avail as the sword refused to budge.

Mordred seemed to freeze as she stared at the sword before everyone heard a deep breath echo from within her helm as the knight approached Caliburn. The knight took another deep breath before she grasped the sword and pulled, only to stumble at the lack of resistance as the blade easily slide out of the earth. The Knight of Treachery said nothing as she just stared at Caliburn as if in shock before shaking her head and sheathing the blade.

"Alright Poser, come with me," she ordered and everyone watched as the two of them began walking away.

"One moment please," replied Arthur as he walked over to his little sister. "Goodbye Le Fay, I'm sorry," he whispered, softly and placed his hands over her bloodied chest.

There was silence as Arthur and Mordred disappeared behind some of the numerous rumble and debris scattered across the battlefield. "How are we going to cover this up?" sighed Sona as she took in the carnage.

"We'll think of something, first let's get my new Bishop to the clubroom, and can someone check on Koneko, she still hasn't woken up," frowned Rias.

Suddenly Irina ran towards them, "we need to find Issei! He could be injured!"

Everyone blinked as they'd realized the exorcist had a point, and if Scáthach found out he'd been injured helping them…

They all shuddered in fear before spreading out to find him, "Asia take Le Fay to the club room and heal her, we'll be there after we've found Issei."

Asia nodded at Rias' orders and the former nun was quickly abandoned as the search for the missing teen began. No one noticing the strains of corrupt and decaying black appearing in the usual white hair of the former Nekoshou.

* * *

"So you work for the Pendragon family huh? Odd, I don't remember seeing you there," pointed out Arthur with a small smirk, once they were out of hearing range of the Devils.

"A little white lie never hurt anyone," replied Mordred in amusement as she let go of him and Arthur shook his head in disbelief as he turned to face her.

The descendant then frowned, "it will when the Devils and the Church ask the Pendragon family about us. A descendant of the Knight of Treachery capturing the descendant of the King of Knights, destroying a reformed Excalibur and its fragments, and all supposedly happening under their orders."

"I'm sad I won't be able to see their faces," laughed Mordred.

"Just take care Mordred, the Pendragon family is anything but noble in this day and age. They won't take this lying down and that's not including how the Devils and Church will react," warned Arthur, as the pair approached the Kuoh park.

"Humph, I'd like to see them try anything. After all it's not just me they'll be fighting, my new family will never lose to anyone," announced the Knight in pride.

There was silence between the two Pendragons as Arthur glanced up at the sky, "Mordred…you're not a descendant, are you?"

The Knight of Treachery froze before she silently turned to face him, "now what gave you that idea?"

Arthur gained a dark expression as he replied, "when I wielded Ex- that blade, I saw things. Memories. Not only that but there was no way the blade would react like that to a mere descendant. Most of all though, you never introduced yourself as a descendant and you called my ancestor your father. Who are you? Really?"

"I am Mordred Pendragon, Knight of Treachery and rightful heir to the throne of Britain, make of that what you will," replied Mordred.

"I see," murmured Arthur in satisfaction. "So what happens to me now?"

"That depends on you Poser, will you continue to try and kill the heiresses or reforge that mockery you call Excalibur?" questioned the knight.

"No that ship has sailed, I want nothing more to do with that accursed blade," growled the descendant.

Mordred just nodded as she held Caliburn out to him, "then you're free to go."

Arthur had an expression of shock on her face as he just stared at her before looking down at the offered blade and shaking his head with a smile. "Keep it, you're more worthy of that blade than I am," he replied, pushing Caliburn back towards her.

For the first time Mordred seemed uncertain as she looked down at the Sword of Appointment in her hands before glancing back up to Arthur. The descendant just nodded as if encouraging her as the Knight of Treachery unsheathed the blade and admired Caliburn's craftsmanship, the holy sword glowing with a soft white light.

"How many times had she dreamed of this moment?" came a soft whisper from within the helm.

"Mordred…I know I have no right to ask this but…can you do me a favour?" begged Arthur, snapping the knight from her daze.

"That depends on what it is," replied Mordred as she sheathed Caliburn.

Arthur bowed his head, causing Mordred to back away slightly in surprise, "could you give my sister a message for me?"

Mordred's only response was to unsheathe Caliburn again before swinging the blade in a downwards stroke as a portal formed. "Tell her yourself," replied Mordred as she dragged him through the portal.

The duo found themselves in the remains of the ORC clubroom with Le Fay lying down on the couch, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. "Different from the Caliburn I know but powerful none the less," muttered Mordred as she examined the sword.

Arthur ignored her as he approached his unconscious sister and tears rolled down his face as he saw her peaceful expression, her witch's hat still clutched tightly against her chest. "She's been healed," he smiled, joyfully.

"Asia most likely, Twilight Healing is more than powerful enough to heal her," mused Mordred behind him.

"You sure do know a lot about the nun," replied Arthur.

Mordred just shrugged, "I've worked with her before."

Suddenly Arthur felt something jab him in the side and turned to see Mordred holding a pencil and notebook out to him.

"Hurry up and write your message, we don't want the Devil's to catch us here," she ordered, getting a nod from him as he began writing one final message for his sister.

"Before I do that, could you take me to our old hideout? There's something I need to give her," requested Arthur, getting a shrug from Mordred as she created another portal.

As they stepped through it the pair found themselves in Le Fay's old room and Mordred watched as she saw Arthur walked over to the bed before picking up an object. Turning back to her, the descendant clutched the item close as he approached the desk. Arthur was silent as he then stared at the blank notebook in front of him and began writing, tears welling up in his eyes as he finished.

Mordred didn't say anything as he nodded and once again the portal formed as they went back to the ORC clubroom. Sighing Arthur looked down at the witch's hat he'd grabbed before placing the notebook inside it as he gave Le Fay's hand one last squeeze before approaching Mordred who created another portal and the pair disappeared, arriving back in the park. Arthur sighed in relief as he turned to thank Mordred and saw the Knight of Treachery once again sheathing the glowing Caliburn.

"Mordred can I ask you a question? You don't work for the Pendragon family so tell me, who do you really work for?" asked the descendant, curiously.

The Knight of Treachery was silent for a moment as if listening to something before she nodded, "I suppose you can know. My new family and I work for the Sekiryuutei."

Arthur was silent as his eyes widened before he burst into laughter, "I guess it is true, the more things change the more they stay the same."

The descendant then turned to leave, only to stop as he heard Mordred speak up, "Oi Poser, catch!"

Arthur spun around and saw the sheathed Caliburn sailing straight towards him and only just managed to catch it before the weapon hit him in the head. The descendant looked down at the sword in his hands with confusion before turning to see Mordred beginning to walk away.

"I don't need it, I have the only sword I need right here, besides that's not the _my_ Caliburn," stated the knight as she gave her sheathed Clarent an affectionate pat. "Make sure the next time we meet that you live up to your name Poser, the sword chose you for a reason after all."

The descendant just nodded, "I look forward to the day our blades can clash once more, take care Mordred. Next time I will make you use your full power."

"You could tell?" came the knight's amused voice. "The day you can fight me in that state is the day that you truly earn your name."

"Then the next time we meet you'll be calling me by my name," replied the descendant in determination.

"Keep dreaming Poser," replied Mordred with a dismissive wave as the Pendragon member turned and walked away. "And don't worry about your sister, I'll make sure Issei keeps watch over her."

Arthur had a grateful smile on his face as he turned and followed Mordred's lead before he saw a flash of white in the corner of his vison and heard something descend upon him from above.

"Making new friends Arthur?" asked an amused male voice.

The descendant turned to see a familiar figure emerge from the tree line, "Vali? What are you doing here?"

"Azazel ordered me to follow Kokabiel after he left during the meeting," answered the Hakuryuukou.

"So you saw Cu Chulainn's descendant fight off Kokabiel?" questioned Arthur.

"That's not all I saw," muttered Vali as he thought back to Issei's transformation.

'How did he do that? One minute he was there and the next he was replaced by that Knight,' pondered the Hakuryuukou.

[Vali…]

Upon hearing Albion, Vali was snapped out of his thoughts, 'what is it Albion?'

[That White Dragon we saw…no never mind I must be mistaken.]

The Hakuryuukou blinked upon hearing the dragon's hesitant and unsure voice, when was the last time Albion had ever spoken like that? 'Never,' realized Vali as his frown deepened, what could cause the Vanishing Dragon, one of the strongest dragons in the world to act like that.

"Vali are you okay?" frowned Arthur, forcing the Hakuryuukou back to the present.

"I'm fine, come on Arthur I have some things I wish to speak to you about," replied Vali as he turned around and walked away.

* * *

Issei sighed as he walked down the streets, still in Mordred's form, not wanting to change back least he still had followers observing him. 'Are you sure you wanted to give up Caliburn like that Mordred? Wasn't that what you always wanted?' he asked.

 _{I'm sure, that's not the Caliburn I want to prove myself to…and besides it's like you said, 'I need to stop chasing after the legend of others and start making my own.'}_

[Be that as it may, was it really such a wise idea to let him go? He could still do quite some damage.]

'He has a point Mordred,' agreed Issei as the teen doubled back through an alleyway, just in case they were being followed.

 _{He was being manipulated by that mockery of a sword to kill his family members, I understand how he is feeling. That's why I let him go, being forced to never see his sister again is punishment enough.}_

Issei blinked in surprise for a minute before a small smile crept along his female face, 'you really thought this through Mordred. I'm proud of you.'

 _{O-of course, what else could you expect from the only knight to ever surpass my 'father'.}_

Issei just laughed at the knight's flustered tones before he heard the sulking voice of Ddraig muttering something in the background of his mind. 'You say something Ddraig?' asked Issei, getting a sigh from the dragon.

[I just wish you didn't have to use that power.]

 _{And what's wrong with it!}_

[It's insulting to see myself and the White One working together like that!]

'Ddraig you realize that they're not really you and Albion, just weaker copies made from your memories?' reasoned Issei, trying to lower the tension between Mordred and Ddraig before a fight broke out.

[I'm not sure if that's better or worse…]

 _{Regardless, what are we going to do about your house, it was destroyed by Artemis remember?}_

'Apparently, Scáthach has something planned,' replied Issei, getting scoffs from both Mordred and Ddraig.

[As long as we're not staying the night in the Land of Shadows again I'll be happy.]

 _{Agreed. I don't know how Lancer could stand it there.}_

'Nah she said since I'm considered a descendant of Cu Chulainn that she had a surprise for me...what was its name? Dún Delga?' replied Issei as he took one last look around their surroundings before exiting the install state.

Whatever the case he was just looking forward to a good night's sleep for a change, which sadly was not going to be very often afterwards since Lugh would be arriving tomorrow for the interrogation of the Greeks.

* * *

The head of the Pendragon family growled as he tore the piece of paper in front of him to pieces before turning to face the other Pendragon leaders, "so does someone want to tell me how a descendant of _Mordred_ escaped our notice!"

There was silence as everyone refused to meet his gaze, causing the head of the family to sigh tiredly as he rubbed his temples. "Very well then, can someone explain why Arthur decided to work with Kokabiel? Or how the descendant of Mordred got her hands on Clarent?" he asked.

One of the branch members stood up, "actually I checked the vaults, Clarent is still there. Whatever blade Mordred is using; it is not our Clarent."

"That does not mean that her blade is not Clarent," announced another member.

The head of the Pendragon family frowned, "what do you mean Uther?"

The blonde man looked at the head leader in the eyes as he replied, "how do we know that the Claret we have is the real one? It was recovered from the Battle of Camlann, yes. But how do we know this family of Mordred's didn't swap out the real blade for a fake one after the battle? After all, has Clarent ever shown a hint of power since we obtained it?"

Again there was a deep silence from the leaders present as they all silently began to digest what Uther had just proposed with varying expressions, none of them good. "Regardless of what the blade is, it still managed to overpower a complete Excalibur. That alone means that it is something to be worried about," concluded the head of the family.

"The real question is how are we going to deal with them? Which leads me to my next topic, Uther I want you to hunt them both down. It's the only way we're going to appease the Church and Devils," he ordered, getting shocked expressions from everyone present.

"Why are you asking me, a member of one of the branch families, to recapture them?" asked Uther with a frown.

The head of the Pendragon family just sighed, "because after Arthur, you are the best fighter we have, you're the only one with a chance to recapture them."

Uther's frown deepened, "you expect me to capture both the descendant of Mordred and Arthur by myself? Are you mad? They have both Clarent and Caliburn on their side, there is no way I can win."

A smile appeared on the leader of the Pendragon family as he held a large wooden box out to Uther, getting gasps from most of the older members present. "Caliburn isn't the only relic we have…nor is it the strongest," grinned the older man as he opened the box.

Uther gasped as he saw the weapon, "is that…"

"Indeed, and if you succeed then the relic is yours," promised the Head of the Pendragon family. "After all, what better weapon to bring down the descendant of the Knight of Treachery."

Uther was silent for a couple of seconds before he gripped the lance and nodded, "alright I'll do it. So what's my next move?"

"For now just focus on training with the weapon, once those two traitors raise their heads again…we will send for you," instructed the older male.

"Understood," nodded Uther in understanding as he saluted the main branch member.

* * *

"How's our new Bishop dealing with her change?" asked Rias, looking at Akeno.

"Not very well," admitted the Queen as a sigh escaped her throat. "She doesn't seem to want to be near us right now, we should be thankful Issei offered to take care of her until things settled down. I don't think either her or Kiba would accept living near each other, at least until they get to know each other."

"I see, well that's fine. We both know Issei is a good person, so Le Fay is in good hands, at least until we can get a proper alias for her. Besides the more we have him taking care of her, the closer ties we'll get with him and his faction," sighed Rias, before turning to the unmoving form of Koneko.

"Buchou, she still hasn't woken up yet and it's been a whole day," muttered the Queen in a worried tone.

"I know Akeno, but you heard what happened from Kiba, that was Senjutsu. Unless you secretly became a master of that form of power without telling me then there is nothing we can do," replied the Gremory heiress.

"We could ask around for a well-known user of Senjutsu for help," argued Akeno, getting a shake from Rias.

"We do that and we're announcing to the whole Underworld that Koneko's become dangerous, and remember what happened to Gasper when we did that?" answered the red head. "Besides this might be a problem specific to Nekoshou anyway, so the only person we could ask is currently an SS class Stray Devil."

There was silence between the two before Akeno's eyes widened, "no there is someone else we could ask, she has already shown that she's able to fight off the effects of Senjutsu."

Rias blinked and nodded in agreement, "I'll ask Issei to arrange a meeting with her, preferable before parent's day. I don't want my brother to find out about Koneko…"

* * *

 **Omake: The 6** **th** **Holy Grail War**

"Are you really telling me the truth?" questioned Issei, giving the vampire a distrustful look.

Zelretch nodded as one of his rare serious expressions appeared on his face, "completely, you sign this and I won't bother you for the next two weeks."

"What is it?" questioned the teen.

"It's a secret," winked the troll.

[Partner this is obviously a trap…]

'I know Ddraig, but this will get him off my back for the next two weeks. Whatever the consequences that alone makes it worth it,' replied Issei as he signed the paper. Frowning as the magician gained a massive smile before gesturing for Issei to follow him into the lounge room where Asia, Irina, and Scáthach we're sitting down.

"Everyone I would like to announce the start of the next great Holy Grail war!" he cheered, only to dodge a red spear thrown from Scáthach.

"I have no interest in that abomination of a ritual," growled the Godslayer.

Zelretch just raised his hands passively, "now, now, you haven't even heard what I'm planning. Issei could you please hold up the piece of paper I gave you?"

"Now as I'm sure the heroes bound to Issei have already realized, that is a Geas Scroll. An unbreakable agreement that both parties are forced to abide by. In this case I will not interfere with the entire War period but in return Issei is required to take whoever owns that scroll by the end of the two weeks on a date," announced Zelretch, making everyone in the room freeze before they ever so slowly turned to the parchment in Issei's hand.

[Oh no…]

"That's ridiculous who would even want that?" frowned Issei, getting a smirk from Zelretch.

"That's right, here give it to me Issei. I shall dispose of it," announced Scáthach as she began walking over to him.

"You?! He's my childhood friend!" shouted Irina as the exorcist tackled the Godslayer to the ground.

[And so it begins…]

"Umm…guys…" began Issei.

"Quiet!" both of them snarled at the teen who jumped and started backing away to his room, his instincts beginning to sound alarm bells in his head.

"Issei where are you going?" asked Asia, a slightly off smile on her face as the three females turned to face the retreating teen, Issei's heart now beginning to pound against his chest.

[Partner, as you companion let me give you some advice…RUN!]

Needing no further warning Issei sprinted out of the house, his pursuers hot on his trail.

 **Later…**

Issei sighed as he collapsed onto his bed, somehow he had survived the first day, although if he had to put up with this for another two weeks he seriously feared for his life. 'Still at least it's over for the day,' thought the teen as he slowly drifted off into sleep.

However, he groaned as he felt the familiar feeling of stone where his pillow should be and opened his eyes to see himself staring at the arena once more. "Once again, it seems that a restful night is out of the question," sighed the teen as he got to his feet.

"Goshuujin-sama, it's good to see you," came a familiar voice, causing Issei's danger senses to return tenfold as a shiver ran down his spine.

Issei turned to see Tamamo walking towards him with a similar unsettling smile on her face, the teen backed up slightly at the sight which only caused Caster to pick up the pace. "H-hey Tamamo, where's Ddraig?" asked Issei.

The fox spirit's smile widened, "I put him to sleep, I can't have any interference after all."

"A-asleep? Tamamo you're beginning to scare me," swallowed the teen as the Servant stopped inches from his face.

"Don't worry Goshuujin-sama, I'll look after the Geas for you," replied Caster as Issei's eyes widened and looked down at his hands to see the scroll still clutched tightly in his hand.

Suddenly Issei was grabbed from behind and pulled backwards as Lancer stood between him and Caster, making the fox spirit frown as her mirror began hovering around her and talismans materialized in her hands. "Somehow I always knew that you would be the ultimate rival Lancer, thankfully I have a solution for you," smirked Tamamo.

"And what's that?" asked Sétanta, Gae Bolg appearing in his hands.

The fox spirit smirked, "just an old friend."

Lancer's face immediately grew pale, "you…you wouldn't go ther-"

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▄▅▅▅▅" came a massive roar before a grey blur rushed into view and picked up Lancer, whom screams were abruptly cut of as Berserker slammed him into the earth.

"Lancer died," observed Tamamo as Herakles dragged the Servant of the Lance away from view.

"You're not human!" cried Issei, only to back up slightly as Caster turned back to face him.

Thankfully Tamamo was sent flying into the wall as Issei blinked upon seeing Mordred holding Clarent at the ready as she glared at Caster. "As I knight I shall protect my King, even if I need to take the Geas for myself," growled Saber.

And so the first day of the 6th Holy Grail War ended…thankfully the casualties were incredibly low for the usual standard, with only one death occurring…

A certain blue Lancer…

* * *

 **Saber Install State:**

 **STR: A**

 **CON: A+**

 **AGI: A**

 **MGI: B**

 **LCK: D**

 **Skills:**

 **Magical Resistance: B**

 **Riding: B**

 **Instinct: B**

 **Prana Burst: A**

 **Battle Continuation: B**

 **Charisma: B**

 **Noble Phantasms:**

 **Secret of Pedigree: C**

 **Clarent: B**

 **Type: Anti-Unit**

 **Maximum Number of Targets: 1**

After accepting Mordred and by extension Issei as it's wielder, the sword's true power was unlocked. Now at a B ranked level, this sword increases all the physical parameters of the user by one as well as the Charisma skill. This is usually manifested as a 'Kingly aura' that surrounds the blade and its wielder.

 **Clarent Blood Arthur: A+**

 **Type: Anti-army**

 **Maximum number of targets: 800**

This Noble Phantasm is an application of Prana Burst that uses emotion to flood power into Clarent's blade, transforming it into its demonic form. It used to be the hatred of Mordred made manifest as the Knight of Treachery's source of power came from her hatred. However, it is now fueled not by hatred but the pride of the Knight and her sword. Upon its activation the ground around the knight changes to resemble that of a bloodied battlefield as crimson lightning is released from the sword in a straight line to cut down anything it its way. This ability is very tiring to use however and often causes the wielder to feel extreme pain during and after its use.

 **Blessings of the Pendragons: Twin Guardians of the Dragon Throne: A+**

 **Type: Anti-unit**

 **Maximum number of targets: 2**

The result of the people's old beliefs of the King of Knights draconic heritage as well as the draconic magical core stored in both Mordred and Arturia interacting with the familiar power of the Sacred Gear as well as the Third 'True' Magic. This process uses the memories of Ddraig to recreate the two dragons that 'Blessed' the Pendragon family line while Heaven's Feel is used to manifest this newly made souls, each with same of the power of the originals and bound to the will of the user. This process takes much more time and energy to activate when compared to Clarent Blood Arthur and often leaves the knight helpless if interrupted partway through the process, however much like the activation energy of a neuron it costs virtually nothing to maintain once summoned. This is because of the Welsh dragon's Boosting power from the Sacred Gear as well as Issei's growing ability with Heaven's Fell influencing the draconic magic core in the user's body, effectively allowing the Noble Phantasm to power itself once activated as if it was a perpetual motion machine. Theoretically this Noble Phantasm could be maintained indefinitely at no expense of the wielder, but due to its high activation cost and long activation period it is usually avoided if at all possible.

* * *

 **It's done! It's finally done! Not a lot of plot but considering this was the fight most of you were waiting for I decided to make it the majority of the chapter. Hopefully the fight itself wasn't too lackluster but I kind of lost my mojo halfway through it, which made it a struggle to write. Yeah Heaven's Feel is beginning to have a much larger effect on Issei than previously…who knows what could happen if it continues to grow…**

 **Now some of you might be wondering why it was so difficult for Issei/Mordred to beat Arthur and that's simply because of the events of the past few days. Remember Issei had to fight off a God, then Kokabiel, then all of the others. In short, he was already weakened long before he even Installed Saber.**

 **Anyway hope you guys liked it.**

 **P.S. Uther looks like Saber from fate prototype.**


	13. Rest And Recover?

**Well it sure has been awhile hasn't it guys? So, I will be the first to say I was reading this fic and decided I think I made Issei into a Sue…which kind of took a lot of motivation to write this away. But at least the supporting characters are fun to write at least.**

 **So, I found it funny that most people felt like Assassin had a lackluster introduction when I gave him the same level of into that I gave to Archer…I guess people's expectations were raised…lucky me I guess.**

 **Lastly, I want to say a big thank you to all the readers whom helped me write this chapter, giving suggestions and helping with research into the Celtic Pantheon as I had virtually no time to do it myself you guys are great (everyone give your regards to Shadow of Life especially, he was really helpful).**

 **Question time: (If I didn't answer your question let me know and I will PM you the answers. There were a lot of reviews to go through so it is likely I missed some.)**

 **ColdDeusEX:** First, because I might be using the actual organisations for an OC arc if I ever planned one. Second, I'm kind of sick of reading EMIYA fics so once again there will be no EMIYA in this fic. Third, it's one of the ideas I'm playing with.

 **Avalon:** Thanks for the suggestion, I'll see what I can do.

 **ShadowFreddyRaven:** No…as hilarious as that would be, that is not Avenger's identity.

 **DestinyFriend:** As for your question about Avenger's connection to dragons…there was a reason I picked her…it should be very interesting when you consider the Sacred Gear wielders are considered Humanoid Dragons…and that's all I'll say. Next Mordred and the Fate Clarent…no comment.

 **FateLover:** Again no comment on Fate Clarent and Mordred…As for Kiba's sword, I guess I didn't make it very clear so my bad. Basically he created a sword that let him see and hear his heartbeat. It's similar to echolocation, basically google Future Predator sight from Primevial and you'll get a good example of what he was seeing.

 **:** I'm colour blind with some shades of blue and purple…so yeah.

 **MWkillkenny84:** Maybe…

 **Blinded in a bolthole:** This argument comes up all the time, and from memory it's because of the anime confusing Herakles power. No God's Hand gives _immunity_ not _resistance_.

 **Flamelegendvargas:** Closest you'll get is the Omake. Although I remember reading a fic with that exact premise, it was good but for some reason the author didn't put it in the crossover section.

 **Ezok:** That was the original stats for the include state, and I'll just come out and say it that I got lazy and didn't follow through with that rule.

 **general zargon:** I always wanted to include the two dragons as an NP for Mordred since the start of this fic. The original plan was to essentially become a dragon, but eventually when Heaven's Feel starting playing a bigger part I changed it to the current one…then Overwatch came out and I just went, 'well this is a sign if I ever saw one.' Thus, that's how the NP was created. Yes I wonder what are Vali's theories…

 **Now without further ado, have fun...**

* * *

Le Fay was silent as she tried to tip toe out of her room and towards the exit of the Hyoudou residence, there was no way she was staying here. Those Devils had to be lying to her, there was no way Arthur would agree to that deal the Gremory Heiress told her about. She probably just revived her after she had died in order to get information from her as well as gain a powerful Bishop piece. There was no way! Her brother would never abandon her like this! She had to find him quickly, before the Devils realised she was gone.

As she opened the front door and turned to leave she felt a brief bit of sorrow for betraying the Hyoudou family like this, even if the Devils had been less than welcoming, they had not. In fact, nearly all of them went out of their way to make sure she was feeling comfortable, even that exorcist whom had fought her brother had tried to cheer up her depressed spirits. But still, she had to return to her brother, she had to help him. And so, the descendant of Morgan Le Fay softly closed the front door as she double checked her backpack full of supplies, only to hear a female voice echo from behind her and causing the descendant to jump in fright.

"Are you leaving?" it asked in a bored tone.

The descendant spun around and saw a familiar red armoured knight leaning against one of the trees with her arms crossed out in front of her as she stared down at her. "M-Mordred? What are you doing here?" stuttered Le Fay, having not seen the descendant since the fight with her brother.

The Knight of Treachery simply shrugged her shoulders, "You know it's a funny thing, I'm not even sure why I'm here either but I guess… it's because I'm fulfilling a promise I made to your brother."

Upon hearing this Le Fay's eyes narrowed as she prepared to unleash her spells on her opponent as she replied, "I have to go, I have to find him."

"If you abandon Rias you will be hunted down by as a Stray, you know that right?" scoffed Mordred with a raised eyebrow.

Le Fay just gripped the edges of her clothing tightly, "I am aware."

Upon hearing this Mordred's eyes narrowed as the zeroed in on her own and a frown crossed the knight's face, "And how far do you think you'll get Le Fay? With the Devils, Church and Pendragon family after you? At least here your identity is hidden and kept secret, at least here you are safe."

"I don't care. I'm going to find my brother," promised the descendant her face forming a determined frown.

Mordred sighed deeply as she pushed herself off the tree and slowly walked over to Le Fay, the soft sound of her armour clicking together getting louder as she got closer. The knight then stared down at the descendant, whom met her gaze with one of her own, before another low sigh escaped Mordred.

"And do you think that's what he would want for you? He wanted you to be free," asked the knight, causing Le Fay to reel back as if slapped before dropping her gaze to the ground.

"Why do you care?" she muttered softly to the ground.

"I don't really," replied Mordred, hearing the mumble. "But your brother does. He made a literal deal with the Devil to bring you back and suffered for it. Are you going to make his sacrifice useless by throwing away the life he bought for you?"

Le Fay was silent as she heard this, her fists pressed into her palms so tightly they were beginning to draw blood, her mouth opening to voice her counterargument only to find none came. Instead there was nothing but silence that seemed to drone on as Le Fay refused to meet the eyes of Mordred.

"I spoke to the Poser before he left, here. He left you something," informed the knight, snapping Le Fay back to the present as she saw Mordred reach for something behind her back.

The descendant's eyes went wide as she saw her old childish witch's hat appear from behind Mordred whom held it out to her in outstretched hands. Slowly taking it from the knight with shaking hands, Le Fay lifted it up and felt something concealed within it. Frowning she reached inside the overly large hat and found a notebook held within it.

"If you still chose to betray your brother's trust, even after reading that, then I won't stop you…" stated Mordred, stepping back and giving her a clear run to freedom should she want it.

"Did you look inside it?" she asked, getting a silent shake of the head from Mordred.

"It was not my place to do so, whatever that message is. It was made for you and you alone Le Fay Pendragon, and I will respect that," replied the knight.

With shaking hands Le Fay slowly opened the notebook and found a single page covered in her brother's handwriting, it was messy and had clearly been done in a rush but she would recognize that style of handwriting anywhere. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes and her vision grew blurry as she read the note, taking note of the clearly scribbled and crossed out lines that her brother hadn't the time to erase.

 _Le Fay, if you're reading this then it means that you survived, thank God. Or should I praise the Maou instead? **I wish I had more time, I wish I had the chance to say this in person…**_ ** _I don't even know if you'll even read this after what I did to you. I would not blame you if you simply throw it away or burned it without touching it…_**

 ** _Le Fay…I am so sorry..._**

 _Le Fay, no words can ever truly express just how much I regret what happened, I could see what I was doing…but I couldn't stop it. I wasn't strong enough._ ** _I raged, I fought tooth and nail to stop myself, but that blade…that tainted thing. It consumed me, turned me into a puppet_** _ **. ** No reasons can possibly excuse my actions, I know that. I was weak, I failed. And I made you suffer for it…_

 ** _Do you remember the garden where we first met? Where the two Pendragon siblings destroyed a centuries old tradition? I do. The maid had dozed off and so I was allowed to sneak into that portion of the castle. I remember staring at the tearful face of a blonde girl and thinking, 'what kind of monster could make someone cry like that?' Such hypocrisy in the end…_**

 _Did I ever tell you about why I helped you when we first met? It's because I was the older sibling. As the oldest brother, it's my job to protect the ones that come after me. I failed not just as a descendant of the King of Knights…but also as a brother. It is a sin I will carry for the rest of my life._

 _You might be wondering why I'm not here to greet you when you woke up, it was part of the deal I made with the Devils to revive you. In exchange for bringing you back, I swore an oath that I would never try to contact you again…_

 _In fact, the only reason you are reading this letter, is that Mordred_ ** _took pity_** _decided to help me before we left. She's not what I expected Le Fay…I think under better circumstances we could have all been close family. You'd like her I think. She has a very twisted sense of honour, it's just hidden deep within her._

 _The Devils should protect you from any Chaos Brigade members, but if they fail…find Cu Chulainn's descendant, Mordred trusts him and so should you. Don't return to us Le Fay. I'm going to tell Vali and the other's that you perished in the battle…_

 _You're free now…even if it is as a member of a peerage. Just forget about all of us Le Fay, make new friends. We both know that the Gremory peerage is one of the few that are treated like real family. Serve them well, make friends, new bonds to replace the old._

 _I know you'll have a great life ahead of you, you're a skilled magician and a member of a powerful Devil's peerage. You're destined for great things Le Fay. I was always proud of you, I guess I never really told you that, did I?_ ** _I guess it's too late now, isn't it?_** _I regret not telling you when I had the chance, yet another failure for your incompetent brother._

 _You were always a light in my life, a bright innocent spark in a sea of darkness and filth that was our family, you were the only thing that made me proud to call myself a Pendragon. Not my ancestor, not their wealth and power, not Caliburn, not Excalibur…it was you. Every day I watched you try your hardest to master your skills, you earned everything that you had, whereas I was simply given it because of my name._

 _This will be the last time you ever hear from me, please don't come looking for me. It's not safe. It's become clear that I can't protect you,_ _even from myself_ _. Stay with Gremory and Issei, they are your new family now._

 _And…there is one other selfish request from your failure of a brother. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me…then please remember me for what I was, not what I turned into at the end._

 _And remember that no matter what happens…your brother loves you._

 ** _I'll miss you._**

 ** _Take care…_**

 _Goodbye Le Fay._

The descendant stared down at the now tear stained page in front of her, feeling a deep well of sadness that she hadn't even known was possible overflowing within her. Suddenly she burst out into laughter, simply her mind simply unable to cope with the reality of her new situation.

"This…this is a joke, right? Just a bad dream. And any minute now I'll wake up safe and sound in my own bed before pestering my brother for ice-cream. We haven't done that in a while after all," she said before closing her eyes and opening them again.

"Ha ha, that's funny I haven't woken up yet," she laughed with a strained voice and smile before repeating the process again and again…to no avail.

Mordred was silent as she watched the descendant's mental break down before slamming an armoured fist down on her head, causing Le Fay to cry out in pain. "This is no dream brat, or do I need to make you feel more pain to realise that?" sighed Mordred and as Le Fay looked up to her, she noticed the once heterochromatic eyes were gone.

Instead of the one vibrant green and chocolate brown eyes, they had both turned to the same green shade as the chocolate brown seemed to disappear. Even the knight's expression seemed subtly different, seeming more natural as if her previous expression had been faked to look like the current one. It was so bizarre that it snapped the descendant out of her spiraling descent into madness as the knight lowered her raised fist.

"So brat, what will you do now?" asked Mordred.

Le Fay was silent as she tried to ponder her next move before fall to the ground and curling into an upright fettle position, clutching her legs close to her chest. "I don't know! Everything I had is gone! How am I supposed to come back from that? I failed in my duty to my brother!" she cried, breaking down into sobs.

Le Fay heard the sound of metal plates rubbing together again and felt the armoured form of the knight tower over her before sighing as Mordred sat down next to her. "Oi brat, why are you so determined to be with your brother?" asked the knight with a hint of curiosity entering her voice.

"You will be his protector, his servant. That will be your task, your atonement for the past, your only purpose in life, just as all Le Fay before you…" quoted the descendant in response, remembering back to her childhood at the Pendragon estate.

"What are you talking about?" muttered Mordred, an uncomfortable sensation occurring as memories of her own past began to resurface.

"Whenever a first child is born into the Pendragon family it is named after it's ancestor and is given multiple different roles. If the first born is male it is named Arthur and becomes the heir to the Pendragon family," explained Le Fay in a soft tone, her voice breaking in the otherwise silent night.

The descendant's vision grew blurry again as she continued, "but if it is a female it is named Le Fay and hidden away from the rest of the family. Trained from birth to be nothing but a disposable servant to the current 'Arthur,' to wait on their every request, no matter how degrading or dangerous."

There was silence from Mordred upon hearing this before the knight softly spoke up in a hesitating voice, "what happens if the female is born before the male? They would have no one to serve."

Le Fay was silent as she shuddered, "if that is the case the baby is…disposed of."

There was a loud sound of something cracking coming from beside her and as Le Fay looked towards it she saw Mordred's hand embedded in the concrete, an expression of pure and utter rage present on her face as her green eyes almost seemed to glow with fury. "This is what the Pendragon family has turned into?! I swear I will gut them all before this is over," snarled the knight.

Le Fay was startled by this outburst before a sad smile crossed her face, "now you're starting to sound like my brother."

"But you know what the worst thing is?" asked the descendant, curling further into her ball. "They were right."

"What I did…the minute I was separated from my brother I did terrible things. Even when I was younger I planned how I was going to kill my brother and destroy the entire Pendragon family. I'm just like _her!_ " spat Le Fay, her voice filled with self-loathing and disgust that sounded so wrong from such a childish face.

Mordred was silent as she watched Le Fay cry her heart out, her hostile expression devolving into one of confusion and Le Fay could have sworn she saw a hint of understanding with those piercing green eyes. The descendant flinched as she felt an armoured hand hesitatingly wrap around her shuddering shoulders, as if unsure what to do next, before feeling the arm pull her slightly towards the knight.

Le Fay then found herself pressed against the knight's chest as she continued her silent sobbing, the night silent as the grave, the descendant could hear Mordred's heartbeat as she continued to vent the bottle of emotions that had been stored inside her for years.

"Without my brother…I'm scared," she stated, after finally calming down enough to speak in complete sentences.

"Of what?" asked the Knight of Treachery.

"Of becoming _her_! Arthur was always my anchor, the one whom I was sure would stop me from becoming another Morgan, the only one I could trust," explained Le Fay, her tears long since run dry as she instead shook with fear.

"But now…what? What's stopping me from becoming another Morgan!" she shouted, clutching her head as more memories from her childhood erupted from in her mind.

The descendant was suddenly grabbed as Mordred forced her to look at the knight in her green eyes, feeling as though the vibrant orbs were staring into her very soul. Eventually the Knight of Treachery just nodded before releasing the descendant from her grasp.

"You're not her," announced Mordred in a certain tone.

"What?" muttered Le Fay in confusion.

Mordred took a deep breath as she replied, "I said you're not her. And you never will be."

A jolt of shock ran through Le Fay's body at this declaration before she frowned and responded, her voice raising in voice as it continued, "but how can you be so sure! How can you know I'm not just like her!"

"Because I know my mother, and believe me you are not her," growled out Mordred, silencing the descendant into shock.

"Mother?" Le Fay repeated softly to herself, her eyes widening to astronomical proportions.

Mordred just continued on, apparently not hearing her murmur, "I know you are different from her because when I look into your eyes. I still see it. The desire to do good, the innocent and naïve belief that everything will work out ok in the end. The absence of manipulative hate that made her so powerful and dangerous."

"But…but what if...your wrong? What if I become her over time?" replied the descendent fearfully as she looked up to Mordred and saw the sun beginning to rise in the distance.

Mordred shrugged, "if you continue to worry about the what ifs then you'll get nowhere."

Le Fay saw the sunlight begin reflecting off the knights metallic armour as she stood up from the ground and stretched, an almost kingly aura surrounding the knight as she unsheathed Clarent. "But if you're that concerned by it then listen to me now, I, Mordred Pendragon, swear upon my sword, that should you ever turn down the path you so fear to trend…then I will drag you back to the right path no matter how long it takes," promised the knight and Le Fay could fell the conviction behind those words.

A small smirk appeared on the knight's face, "besides as someone once told me…that what families do."

Once again, Le Fay felt something hot and wet flow down her cheek and as she reached a hand up to her face she felt the tears once again leaking down her face. And yet despite the tears, she could feel no sadness, instead there was a deep joy building within her.

The descendant of Morgan Le Fay bull rushed Mordred before latching herself onto the knight's waist, causing the knight to topple over from the unexpected weight. "Oi you damned brat I was trying to be nice here and you-" Mordred immediately cut herself off as she heard the soft murmuring coming from Le Fay.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated at high speeds and making Mordred just sigh tiredly as she returned the hug.

"Come on you brat, let's get you back inside before we wake up the whole neighborhood," ordered Mordred, unsuccessfully trying to remove Le Fay from her waist.

After another minute of nonstop muttering the descendant finally broke off from her, now one-sided, hug and got up from the ground. "See you tomorrow Big Sis," she shouted gleefully before rushing back into the house.

"Big Sis?" muttered Mordred with a slightly red face before breaking out into a happy smile. "I like the sound of that."

The knight's eyes then returned to her normal heterochromatic colours before 'she' broke into laughter, "who knew you were good with kids Mordred."

The 'Knight of Treachery' then returned to the house as the sun fully rose in the distance.

* * *

No one said a word as all the Greek Deities present sat in their thrones and watched as Poseidon stepped forward to begin his report. Each of them were silent as they listen to the evidence that the God of the Sea had gathered from the incident.

"Has there been any news from Apollo and Artemis?" asked Zeus anxiously gripping his throne's armrests.

Poseidon shook his head sadly as silence filled the chamber of Olympus before he replied, "None, we've searched all of Japan and still found nothing. Amaterasu herself is tearing her own territory apart trying to find them."

"I told you that incompetent Fox was useless," scoffed Hades, a low chuckle escaping from his skeletal frame.

Thunder crashed around them loudly as Zeus rounded on his brother, his face red with fury as he roared, "NOT NOW HADES!"

"What were they even doing in Shinto territory?" asked Athena, her long green hair swaying down her back.

"They told me they wanted to make better relations with the Shinto Pantheon. Amaterasu's story seems to agree with this. And that's what we know officially," informed Poseidon, the God of the Sea shaking his head in disappointment.

"And unofficially?" replied Zeus with a raised eyebrow.

Poseidon gave another long drawn out sigh, "It is likely they decided to go against your orders and independently investigate this 'Khaos Brigade' under the guise of helping Amaterasu. Shortly after this, we all felt _that_. And the two have been missing ever since."

Having finished his report the God of the Sea stepped back and sat back down on his throne as silence filled the meeting halls of Olympus. "It doesn't make sense…why would Herakles attack his siblings unprovoked like that? They got along so well…" muttered Zeus, the father looking torn as he tried to find a reason for his children's actions.

"Assuming it is Herakles…" pointed out his brother.

There was another loud clap of thunder as the leader of the Greek Pantheon rounded on his brother with a furious expression, "We've been over this Poseidon. That _was_ my SON!"

No one said a word after this, fearful of drawing the God of Thunder's wrath, as the storm clouds above them finally cleared and bringing a sigh of relief to most of the other Greek Deities. "So, we have no idea where they are now?" asked Ares his armour glinting bronze as he studying the map of Japan with a trained eye.

"We don't even know if they are alive at this point," admitted Poseidon and causing another uncomfortable silence to reign before Zeus turned to Hades with a hopeful expression on his face.

"Hades please tell me you found something," he asked, a pleading tone entering his voice.

The Skeletal God of the Underworld simply shook his head in silence, "Nothing indicated that this attack was caused by this so called 'Khaos Brigade,' as of right now we can only assume that it has something to do with the Red Dragon's Faction."

"What makes you say that?" replied Poseidon, his eyes narrowing slightly on his brother.

Hades simply turned to meet his gaze as he replied, "There were signs of a massive battle on the outskirts of the city, what little magical energy remained in the area that we could collect matched that given off by the Welsh Dragon Ddraig. There was even the fanit trace of the Calydonian Boar saturating the area. Something that you failed to mention in your report _brother_."

"It wasn't confirmed that the Welsh Dragon interfered at all, merely that he was present in the area," growled out the God of the Sea.

"The Calydonian Boar?" scoffed Aphrodite with a condescending laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. Even that fool Artemis would never use it again. Not after how she was punished last time."

"How else can you explain this then?" retorted Hades as the Skeletal God spun to meet the other Deity's gaze, whom flinched at his glare.

"What is your current hypothesis Hade?" asked Zeus, drawing a horrified look from Poseidon as the Skeletal God stepped forward.

"Currently I believe that Artemis encountered the source of the power we detected, _whether or not_ it was actually Herakles. This likely enraged her to the point that she used the Boar…" Hades trailed off as the first hints of uncertainty crept into his voice.

"Or?" demanded the leader of the Greeks with narrowed eyes.

"Or she was so out classed she felt no other option was available to claim victory," finished Hades and making all the deities shift uncomfortably as they exchanged glances.

"Either way, the reason doesn't matter. What does matter is that it appears the current Boosted Gear wielder decided to intervene with the fight," concluded the Greek God.

"We have no proof of that yet Hades!" snapped Poseidon, only to be ignored

"What about Apollo? You have yet to mention him," pointed out Ares.

"The only sign of Apollo we could find was the destroyed remains of his Chariot along with his broken bow. We currently have no idea what happened there," replied Poseidon, getting a nod of agreement from his brother Hades.

"Damn it," growled out the Greek God of War.

"Hades…Brother…give me your honest opinion…do you think they're still alive," asked Zeus, his voice wavering slightly as he stared at his brother in the eye.

Hades was silent as he met his brother's stare before replying with a thoughtful voice, "It is unclear… _if_ that was Herakles you detected then I think they're still alive. I don't see him killing his siblings like that…however since they have yet to contact us…it might be best for us to assume the worse. "

"Hades!" shouted the God of the Sea.

"It is the truth brother," replied the Greek God of the Underworld as he turned away from Zeus to face his other brother.

"Hades I have new orders for you. I want you to find out who is responsible for this and if my children are indeed dead…I want the killer's head on a platter," ordered Zeus, a cold fury seeming to leak from his body.

"What about this 'Khaos Brigade?'" asked Poseidon.

"It is a myth," concluded Zeus, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"We don't know that!" shouted the God of the Sea, slamming his hands on his throne. "They could be the ones responsible for this attack! Zeus…brother listen to me. We know that this faction wants to start a war, what better incentive then using an incident like this to their advantage."

Hades once again stepped forward and turned to face his brother, "Poseidon, I told you that none of my investigations indicated that this Khaos Brigade is anything more than a myth."

"I trust in Hades judgement," agreed the Greek leader with a finality in his tone.

"Zeus, you're letting your grief and anger cloud your judgement. At least let me take over the investigation!" begged the Greek God of the Sea.

"No!" snapped the Thunder God. "I will not waste resources on some fairytale when we have better use for them. Hades will find out what happened to my children, _all three of them_ , _that_ is what we will be devoting resources to."

The leader of the Greeks then stood up from his throne and walked over to the door before glaring at Poseidon. "This meeting is finished," he announced, as other Greek Deities started leaving.

Before he could leave Poseidon grabbed Hades' shoulder and spun him around so that the two gods were face to face. "What game are you playing Hades?" he growled out, water seeming to flow into his hand before taking the shape of a trident.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, _brother_ ," replied the God of the Underworld as he shrugged off his brother's hand and continued walking towards the door.

For the briefest instant Poseidon considered attacking his brother, his trident beginning to glow with diving energy before being dispelled. "Damn it!" he cursed before walking towards the exit and storming towards his room.

Just as he got to his door the Greek God of the Sea heard a familiar voice, "A rough day?"

The God spun around and saw a centaur approaching him and despite his earlier mood a smile grew on the God's face. "Chiron…that's an understatement if I've ever heard one. Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be keeping an eye on Achilles?" he asked, curiously.

"I am, he insisted to come see you," sighed the centaur as a familiar male figure appeared from the door into Poseidon's own room and smirked.

"What do you want?" sighed the God, in no real mood to deal with the Greek hero's descdenant's usually amusing antics.

"Is it true?" asked Achilles with an eager expression. "There's a descendant of Artemis living in Shinto territory, some are even whispering about Herakles returning back from the dead?"

The God of the Sea was silent before shaking his head, of course he had expected word to get out that something was going on within the Pantheon. It was impossible to hide that fact, still he hadn't expected word to spread so quickly…unless someone had leaked it…

"Yes," sighed the Greek God with a tired voice. "We were going to announce it today, no point in keeping it secret now."

"Incredible! I can't wait to meet them! So, when are they coming to Olympus?" asked Achilles, eagerly shifting his balance from each foot.

"They aren't," informed the God of the Sea before shrugging. "For some reason the two have decided to remain hidden from our sight."

Both Chiron and Achilles had a surprised look on their faces at this new information before the centaur had a disappointed frown on his face. "I see, that's a shame. I was looking forward to meeting Herakles again," pondered Chiron wistfully.

With their task done Achilles stepped out of Poseidon's way and the two flinched upon hearing the sound of the God's door slamming shut. "Well he was in a wonderful mood today, I wonder what happened?" muttered Achilles, before a thoughtful expression grew on his face followed quickly by an eager smirk.

"I know that expression anywhere Achilles, what are you planning?" sighed Chiron, looking at his student with a tired face.

"I think we should go on a trip Teacher, wouldn't you say?" replied the descendant with a smirk.

* * *

Blood.

Blood.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

People were being peeled away layer by layer, revealing skin and muscle before even this were peeled away and there was nothing left but the blackened bones staring blankly at her. Damning whispers surrounded her as she struggled to climb over the mountain of corpses, desperate to escape the black sludge that was rising behind, merely inches from her feet.

"Buchou…Buchou…please somebody! Anybody please help!" she screamed, before losing her grip on the pile of bodies and falling into the filthy mud.

The former Nekoshou felt her body burning from intense pain and heat, struggling to swim to the surface even as the sludge pushed her further within its rotting embrace. Koneko cried out as she felt the sludge rushed down her throat and nose, struggling to breath as the mud flooded her body. The Devil struggled to maintain consciousness as she forced her failing body back to the surface, only to feel something grasp her foot before dragging it back in.

Looking down in fear she saw a black muck filled, and yet dreadfully familiar looking figure, staring at her with her own face. The muck filled doppelgänger wrapped itself around Koneko's throat as it tried to drag her back down into the sludges depths. Koneko flailed and struggled against the unyielding grasp of the mucky twin, however just when it seemed hopeless her arms caught hold of some sort of floating debris on top of the surface.

Latching onto the debris as if it were her only lifeline left, Koneko gave a desperate cry as she pulled herself from the muck and onto the large debris. Collapsing onto it Koneko began sobbing uncontrollably as she felt herself get rocked by waves from the filthy sludge, as if it was trying to submerge the debris along with her. But still the Devil clutched onto it for dear life, instinctively knowing what awaited her within its depths.

Suddenly a massive wave rose up bedside her and slammed into the Devil, causing her to scream in fear and tears to come to her eyes as she felt her grasp slipping. Shortly though the Devil's cries of fear were drowned out as once again she was dragged under, leaving only the debris left floating within the muck but soon even that was consumed by the filth.

And so, the floating gigantic white rook piece sunk into the muddy filth along with the former Nekoshou whom could only silently sob as her eyes closed and darkness claimed her. The last thing she saw was her mucky doppelgänger staring down at her before sinking into the Devil's flesh.

* * *

"Shirone, Shirone, wake up my little kitten," whispered a comforting female voice, and snapping the former Nekoshou awake.

Koneko looked up with wide eyes as she saw Kuroka smiling down at her as she wiped away a few strands of hair from her little sister's face. "Onee-chan?" muttered the Devil in shock.

"That's right. Come and give your sister a big hug," replied her older sister.

This wasn't right…she was sinking into the muck…the…the filth…or was that a dream? Was everything a dream? Buchou? Being a Devil? "No…no, but how?" asked Koneko, her mind staring at her older sister and trying to compared it to everything she'd remembered of her, looking for some sign of deception.

Kuroka just burst out into hilarious laughter, "Silly Shirone, did you really think your Big Sis would leave you like that?"

"Are you real?" replied the younger sibling in a soft and halting voice, before clutching her head in pain.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I am! Don't you recognize your own Big Sister?" exclaimed the black haired Nekoshou.

There was silence as Koneko looked up at her sister before tears sprung from her watering eyes as she rushed over to Kuroka and embraced her in a tight hug. "Onee-chan! Please help! I keep seeing them, please make them stop!" she begged, making Kuroka begin giving a soft cooing noise as she stroked her head.

"What is it? What do you see Shirone?" asked Kuroka in a quiet voice.

"Nightmares," muttered the Nekoshou, shuddering from the memories.

"What do you see in these nightmares?" consoled the older sibling.

Again, Koneko shuddered from the experience as she forced herself to speak, "Flames consuming everything. People being flayed alive, black sludge spreading, tainting everything it touches. I hear screams of the victims burning, whispering to me, trying to get me to do things, bad things. I smell burning flesh, and it makes my mouth water! WATER!"

Koneko clutched her head, her voice filled with loathing and self-disgust, "What's wrong with me! I can feel it inside me, the sludge growing…MAKE IT STOP!"

Kuroka didn't react to her outburst and instead once again drew her into a tight embrace, "Shirone…my sweet little Shirone. You have nothing to feel ashamed about, indeed you should rejoice."

Upon hearing this Koneko's eyes widened and for the first time she noticed the room they were in, it was an exact copy of the ORC clubroom. But what drew her eye was the chessboard in the centre of the room, or specifically the Rook piece. The White King seemed to be in check, only not by any of the other sides pieces but rather by its own Rook Piece. The Rook's once White surface having been sloppily painted over by a very familiar filthy black sludge. Koneko felt her heart begin to pound against her chest as slowly the room lost its colour and returned to a familiar corpse filled field.

"O-onee-chan…let go," she said, struggling to break 'Kuroka's' near crushing embrace, the older sibling's hands beginning to dig into her shoulder hard enough to draw blood.

"W **h** A **t** 'S **W** ro **ng** S **h** iRO **nE**?" asked the fake and as Koneko looked up at her, she saw the flesh covering the Fake's body get replaced by the same muck as her own doppelgänger had had.

"No not again…GO AWAY!" screamed Koneko, using all her strength to push the mucky copy away from her, watching as it broke into little globes of mud as it hit the ground.

" **Bu** t wH **y M** Y l **It** tLe **K** IT **tE** n **? D** On' **t Y** o **U lOv** E yO **u** R o **N** EE **-ch** An?" it said in Kuroka's voice, reforming together back into her shape before trying to embrace her again.

"I said LET. ME. GO!" cried the Devil, black flames beginning to form in her hands as her cat-like features became visible.

The mucky copy was then dosed in black flames that caused it to recoil, as Koneko's teeth grew razor sharp and her second, rotted black, tail reappeared. " **R** Ejo **i** cE. **D** rin **k f** RoM **T** hE **We** LL **of** Po **WeR. G** iVE **IN** t **O** Y **oU** R D **eSi** res," announced the copy, before it was dissolved by the black flames and became nothing.

Koneko stared down at the burning remains of the muck creature that had tormented her, the briefest hint of a sadistic snarl appearing on her face, before a dark light forced the Devil's eyes shut. Once she opened them she found herself once again in the ORC clubroom and groaned as she forced herself to her feet.

"Koneko?! You're awake! Don't move, I'll get Buchou!" shouted a familiar voice.

Koneko spun around to see Akeno placing a book down, seeming to a have a picture of a _very familiar_ mirror on it, before the Gremory Queen rushed from the room. 'Am I back?' thought the Devil as she waited from some sign of the black sludge. But none came…

The Devil felt her hopes begin to rise slightly, it was over, the long nightmare was finally over! Tears of joy began streaming down her face as she started eating her favourite snacks…and yet for some reason the taste seemed to turn to ash in her mouth.

S **h** i **Ro** ne…

The Devil froze and spun around, trying to find the source of the voice, and the Devil could have sworn that for the briefest moment…as her eyes passed over a nearby mirror. She saw her mucky doppelgänger, having replaced her own reflection, but as Koneko blinked the sensation was gone. The Devil sighed and tried to tell herself that it was only her imagination but…she couldn't escape the image of the chessboard she had seen…

S **h** i **Ro** ne…

* * *

Le Fay sighed as she got changed into one of her new school uniforms, honestly how Rias had convinced the school to let her attend at such a young age was beyond her. 'I wonder what Kuoh will be like? I've never gone to a normal school before,' she wondered, picturing what her first day at school could possibly be like. Sure she had already been doing work for the Devils in their clubroom but that was after school hours, this was her first time being revealed out in public like this. Rias had thought it would seem suspicious if she immediately got a new piece for her peerage just after the Excalibur fiasco and so had been having her fulfill contracts out in secret for the past week.

'Come on, no need to be scared they're just normal humans, right? Think, what would Big Sis Mordred do?' wondered the descendant as she thought back to the blonde knight, picturing her beating up all the students that even looked at her funny.

"Maybe that's not a good idea," she muttered sadly.

Speaking of Mordred, Le Fay hadn't seen her ever since their discussion when she was about to go and become a Stray. Where had she gone? Her brother's note clearly implied that she and Issei knew each other quite well and yet she hadn't seen her since.

It was at this moment that Cu Chulainn's descendant walked in and approached her with a smile on his face, "alright Le Fay, are you ready?"

"My baby girl's first day at school, oh I'm so proud!" gushed Mr. Hyoudou with his entire body wrapped in bandages, getting an annoyed sigh from Issei.

"Thank you, Mr. Hyoudou," she replied with a bow.

"Oh, please call me Otou-san, you've been here a week now, that means your practically family!" laughed Mr. Hyoudou before turning to his son.

"Issei, is everything alright with Irina and Asia…they've seemed really distant for the past week, and Scathach seems to be constantly busy with 'work,'" he asked, making Le Fay flinch slightly at the unintended guilt trip.

The group had decided that for now it would be best if they kept Issei's father in the dark, telling him a lie about the house caving in due to poor construction when it was built. It was clear even to her that he didn't believe them however, this was made abundantly clear when he didn't question how his house seemed to magically be repaired with the span of a few days. For the time being though he seemed intent on playing along with their charade, although he kept sending pleading glances to his son every now and then before sighing.

"I'm working on it dad," replied Issei softly before turning to the door. "Come on Le Fay, if we stay around any longer we'll be late and I already have Kaichou wanting my head as it is."

"Bye Otou-san!" waved Le Fay as she followed Issei out the door, turning to him as the door shut. "You must be lucky having such a friendly parent like him."

Issei just shrugged, "parents you know what they're like."

"Actually I don't, the only interaction I had with my birthparents was magic tuition," informed Le Fay, getting a flinch from Issei.

"Right…sorry about that," apologised Issei.

Le Fay just shrugged and decided to ask the question that had been bugging her for the last week. "Where's Mordred?" she questioned happily skipping around Issei, her witch's hat bobbing along with her.

"She left for an assignment I'm afraid. You know what they say about idle hands," replied Issei with an apologetic shrug.

Le Fay just giggled, "You know you're talking to a Devil right?"

"Fair point," conceded the human before a frown crossed his face. "How's things with Rias and the rest of her peerage?"

Le Fay's smile dropped slightly at this question but she still managed to give a halfhearted smile, "It's not the best…Buchou seems nice enough, same with Akeno. Xenovia is always trying to praise God and being hurt by it…also she apparently wants to have your children…I'd keep my guard up around her if I were you Issei."

"WAIT! SHE WHAT?!" shouted Issei, only to be ignored as Le Fay continued.

"But Koneko…scares me…she is always jumping at everything, sometimes even attacking thin air, and has massive mood swings," informed the former human.

"She is a girl…" trailed off Issei in confusion.

Le Fay shook her head as a frown crossed it, "Not that kind Issei, it seems almost unnatural. One minute she's happily munching on treats and the next she looks ready to rip my throat out. Even Buchou and the others seem concerned about it."

"Rias did ask me if I could get in touch with Atalanta about something, but whenever I asked why she never said. Come to think of it, she said not to worry about it once Koneko woke up…maybe that has something to do with it?" frowned the human.

"Maybe," trailed off Le Fay, not sounding very convinced.

"What about Kiba?" asked Issei hesitantly, dreading the answer.

The descendant's frown just deepened and she sighed, "I've had warmer receptions from my old family…he tolerates my presence…if only barely. He refuses to even look at me when we're in the same room and often tries to keep as big of a distance between us as possible."

"Just give it time Le Fay. I'm sure he'll come around eventually," assured Issei as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe…I wouldn't blame him though if he never got over it. Not after what I did," she replied in a depressed tone.

"Come on Le Fay, just have a little faith. I'll talk to Kiba, okay?" promised Issei, trying to cheer her up and causing a sad smile to appear on Le Fay's face.

"It won't help, but thanks anyway Issei. Any idea when Big Sis Mordred will get back from her mission?" asked Le Fay, wanting to change the subject to an enjoyable one.

"It might be awhile, why?" he answered, making her brief bout of happiness drop like a stone in water.

"I was hoping to see her again before she headed off on another mission," she answered with another sad smile on her face.

Issei just stared at her before clutching his head, as if listening to something, and nodding as he spoke up, "I'll see what I can do. After all, I'm sure Mordred can spare some time from her busy schedule to come see her cousin."

"Really?" asked Le Fay, a bright, innocent, eager smile appearing on her face.

"To keep that bright smile on your face? I'm sure she would," smiled Issei, and causing Le Fay's face to turn a crimson red.

"ISSEI!" she shouted in embarrassment.

The two continued on in silence and as they rounded the final street before Kuoh Academy, Issei spoke up again, "How are you coping? You know, with being a Devil and all."

Le Fay just frowned at that question. In truth, she hadn't thought about it until now but she was a completely different species. She hadn't even tried flying yet, and her magic was stronger than it had ever been before so that was good.

Eventually the new Devil shrugged, "It's an odd feeling but nothing I won't get used to."

The two then crossed the gate into the school but were immediately stopped as two figures began rapidly approaching them. Suddenly Issei's instincts took over as he dodged under a punch to the face before being crashed tackled to the ground by the second figure.

"ISSEI HYOUDOU YOU BASTARD!" growled out two familiar voices.

"Motohama, Matsudo? What the hell is wrong with you two!?" he shouted, pushing them off him as he stood up.

The two perverts glared at him as they stared between him and Le Fay, "Scathach wasn't enough! You had to go and collect another for your harem! And a blonde at that?!"

Le Far gave an innocent smile as she tilted her head in curiosity, "Harem? Are they talking about Asia or Irina, Issei?"

"You have more! YOU GOD DAMNED BASTARD!" they shouted and attempted to attack once again, only for a dreadfully familiar female voice to halt them in their tracks.

"Fighting on school grounds, tardy to class, you must really enjoy detention Issei Hyoudou," growled out the voice.

All three of them spun around and froze as the saw Sona staring at them with a cold, predatory grin on her face. "This must be my lucky day right _Hyoudou-san_? You two can go," she asked, glaring solely at him.

"Hold on Kaichou I had nothing to do with this!" he protested, even as Motohama and Matsudo quickly made a break for the school building.

"I sincerely doubt that Issei Hyoudou, name one incident that has happened here that you have not been involved with," she growled out, causing Issei to blink and think back.

[The fact that this is so difficult to answer is pretty telling Partner.]

'Shut up Ddraig,' growled out the human as he searched his brain for anything he could use.

"The cute Magical Girl that visits every year?" he said, knowing the urban myth about Kuoh's magical girl.

However, Sona didn't seem to find his joke that funny as her expression darkened and shadows began to cover her eyes. "You…how do you know about that! I thought I erased everyone's memories!" demanded Sona and Issei swallowed fearfully as small droplets of water began hovering around the Student Council President.

"Umm…Sona what are you doing?" muttered Issei fearfully as the ground beneath the Sitri heiress began to freeze over.

"My only course of action is clear, to erase all knowledge of her. I must kill you," she muttered as numerous magical circles appeared around her hands.

And so once again the morning of Kuoh Academy was greeted to the chorus of Issei's cries of terror and Sona's howl of rage as the two chased each other around the campus. Truly normality had finally returned to Kuoh Academy…

* * *

Issei stumbled home, having been exhausted by the current day's events, first Motohama and Matsudo, then Sona, then Akeno glaring at him far more than normal when he went to pick up Le Fay. That mixed with Rias' and now Xenovia's usual flirty manner. Was it wrong that he wished Kokabiel would come back? That at least he knew how to deal with, and Scathach was still busy at 'work' guarding Apollo and Artemis until they could interrogate them tomorrow. The Immortal Witch had also been mumbling to herself about this _Dun Delga_ again…the smile on her face had caused the human to shudder slightly. Whatever she was planning couldn't be healthy for him….

All in all, the teen was looking forward to bed and some honest to God rest, however as he walked into the family living room he noticed his father gesturing for him to come closer. Sighing Issei walked over to him and frowned as his dad silently pointed to the outside backyard, as he followed his father's gaze he spotted Irina looking up at the sky with a longing expression on her face.

"Go get her tiger," smirked his father before pushing Issei out the back door and causing him to stumble out into the backyard.

"Issei? What are you doing?" asked his childhood friend, watching as Issei pushed himself off the ground and walked over to her.

"Just checking on you Iri, you haven't exactly been well…the same after what Kokabiel said," replied Issei, a concerned frown growing on his face as he sat down beside her.

"I've been think about what he said for the past week…praying for some sort of guidance, some sign of what I should do next. And I've only gotten silence…I was hurt, my entire life I have been telling myself it was all part of some greater plan, then I find out I was wrong. That for all my devotion…I would get no response," muttered the exorcist as her hands curled into fists.

The exorcist just sighed deeply as her hands uncurled, "it gave me time to think and in that time, I realised something important."

"Are you seriously going to be okay Irina? It must be rough, to believe in something so much and have it disappoint you like that," asked Issei a concerned frown growing on his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

The exorcist was silent as she stared up at the sky with tear-filled eyes before a sad smiled crossed her face and she nodded in response, "you wanna hear something weird?"

Issei nodded silently as he saw Irina wipe the tears away from her eyes before replying with her sad smile still etched on her face, "I'm okay, really."

The exorcist sighed deeply as she embraced Issei in a tight hug, "I guess if you're gonna have faith, you can't just have it when miracles happen…you have to have it when they don't."

With that the teen saw the cheerful smile return to his childhood friend's face as she prepared to stand up and turn back to the house, "even if God is dead, I won't stop preaching his message. In the end His death won't change the way I feel about Him…that being said, the Church can expect my letter of resignation in the next couple of days."

"So what will you do now?" asked the teen, his face showing a deep frown as he stared at the former exorcist with worry.

Irina shrugged, "after I hand in my report and resignation to the Church. I'll probably go home to see my family…explain to them why I left. After that…I guess I'll just travel around for a bit, trying to correct some of the wrongs I've done. Continue to serve God in the way He wanted me to."

Issei just stared at his friend with a shocked expression on his face before shook his head in admiration, "and to think, I thought you needed help. You're really an incredible person you know that Iri? Not many could have the strength to face the truth like you have and come out with their faith intact."

"How Xenovia deals with this information is up to her. I'm not going to judge her for her choice no matter what it is. It's Asia you should keep an eye on, as bad as the news was for us…it must have been devastating to her," replied the exorcist, her mind going back to Xenovia and her new position within Rias' peerage.

"Besides, even if God is dead, he still answers his follower's prayers," continued Irina with no trace of doubt in her voice.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Issei in confusion.

Irina just smiled at him before resting her head on his shoulder, "because the Lord works in mysterious ways, and regardless of what happens next…he has already granted me my prayer."

"Oh? And what was that?" replied the teen in a curious tone.

Irina just giggled softly before she lifted her head up and turned his own until they were facing each other, for the first time Issei noticed how close their faces were and a blush spread across his face. "You really want to know Ise? Then first close your eyes and I'll tell you," instructed his friend, with Issei following her directions.

The teen closed his eyes and heard Irina take a deep breath before her lips met his in a kiss that shocked his eyes open. Breaking the kiss off quickly Irina's red smiling face met his own stunned expression as she stood up from the ground. 'Did…did she just kiss me?' he thought, his brain struggling to reboot after this surprising experience.

"My prayer was to be able to see you again, just once more, and tell you how much I appreciated the time we spent together as children. Thank you Ise, for everything," smiled a grateful Irina as she headed towards the house before the exorcist suddenly stopped and turned to face him again with a determined expression.

"While I'm gone can you give a message to Asia and Scathach? Tell them that I won't lose, and that I have first blood," she smirked before walking into the house to collect what little possessions she had in preparation for her brief return to the Church to report.

Issei just stared at the door in shock, only snapping out of his daze as the Caster Card began burning with a furious heat, as if enraged at the exorcist. Meanwhile, Ddraig and the others could only watch from a safe distance as Tamamo just had an angered expression on her face, which quickly changed to a determined one.

"I'm not going to lose to any of them," she growled before walking back into her domain.

* * *

Apollo groaned as he finally came to his senses, only to frown as he saw his still unconscious sister chained up on the wall next to him. Runes decorating every square inch of the cell that the two Greeks now found themselves in.

"Sister, WAKE UP!" shouted Apollo, causing his sister to groan slightly as she opened her eyes.

"Brother, what's going on? Where are we?" asked the Moon Goddess.

However, before the Sun God could answer they both heard the door to their cell open and watched as a man clad armour that appeared to be made of stone, his blue cape and fiery hair seeming to glow in the dim light as he walked towards the twins. Stopping before them he snorted as he stared down both before gripping the sword on his back with one hand and unsheathing it.

"So, you're the twins who caused us no small amount of trouble," muttered Lugh, glaring down at the two imprisoned Greeks.

"Where are we?" question Artemis, getting a raised eyebrow from the Celtic God as he lifted his helmet off his face.

"Are you really in the position to demand answers here? To think I came here prepared for a battle and yet you two are still here imprisoned, I guess she did her job too well," he groaned before unclipping a water skin from his belt and sculling its continents. "But to answer your question, welcome Apollo, Artemis, to the Land Of Shadows."

Both the Celts had expressions of horror appear on their faces, as Apollo spoke up, "That's not possible…this place should be sealed off…"

Lugh just shook his head before clipping his water skin back to his belt, the strong alcoholic smell now spreading throughout the room as he continued, "Wrong that's just what we tell people so they don't come here and get killed by the 'Queen' that guards this place."

Instantly both the Greeks remember the terrifying sensation of facing down the Godslayer and shudder in unison, "Death…"

The Celtic Sun God just looked at them and smiled, "So you did fight her, I'm surprised you survived…I guess Morrigan was right about Issei keeping her in check. That boy truly is an amazing individual."

The two Greeks were silent before Artemis poke up, "Why are we here?"

Lugh's expression darkened as he approached them, "To answer some questions. You attacked our people and we want to know why."

"We'll tell you nothing Celt," snarled Apollo, causing an amused smirk to cross the Sun God's face.

"You won't have a choice. Just be grateful Morrigan is at a meeting right now, she's just as scary as Scathach when she wants to be," he remarked before the unsheathed sword in his hand became a blur of movement as it now rested on Apollo's throat. "This is a fun little blade, isn't it? Whether you want to tell us or not is irrelevant, Fragarach will get the answers we need from you."

A predatory smirk grew on Lugh's face as Fragarach began glowing ever so softly, "So, let's talk about your little attack, shall we?"

* * *

The Death Goddess sighed internally at the usual topics being brought up for the meeting, wanting it to be over already so that she could go supervise the Greek's interrogation. She could only hope the others were up for the challenge, they needed answers and they needed them now.

"Morrigan," called Dagda, snapping her from her thoughts as the rest of the Celtic Deities turned to face her.

"Dagda," she greeted with a stiff nod of her head.

"Where is Lugh?" asked the Celtic God of Life, finding it odd that the Sun God wasn't by her side today, they had been growing closer after all.

"Taking care of some business for me," she replied in vague tone.

"I see," he frowned, but didn't push the issue any further. "How are the preparations for Samhain Feis coming along?"

"On schedule," informed the Death Goddess. "A few of the other powerful players have reached out now that we've ending our isolation, asking if the ceremony would be open to outsiders."

"Send them a message that for now it is not, and give them our condolences," ordered the leader of the Celts.

"I'm not a messenger to be used at your beck and call," snarled Morrigan, for a brief moment her eyes seeming to flick between three different colours before returning to normal.

"Are you sure? I heard Ravens were used by mortal's as glorified messengers for years. Only use for the damn things if you ask me," smirked Fodla, walking up to Morrigan and just smirking at her.

A loud crack resounded around the room as Dagda smashed his fist on his desk, "Fodla, not now. And Morrigan, as one of the two heads of Foreign Affairs this task _does_ fall under your job description."

"Fine. I'll add that to the list of things to do before the festival that _I_ organized begins," she growled out and glared at the Goddess of Ireland, causing her to back away fearfully.

"So will this ''mysterious' descendant be making an appearance at the festival," asked a whispery male voice.

Everyone turned to see a male form, wrapped in a dull brown cloak hiding most of his body from view with the skull of a ram as a head, glide over to the Death Goddess. The other Celtic Deities gave him a wide berth until the two were staring at each other, neither backing down from the staring contest.

"No, he will not," replied Morrigan in an angered tone.

"And why is that? It seems to me that you're trying to hide something Morrigan," shot back the cloaked Deity.

"I'm not hiding anything," informed the Phantom Queen of the Celts.

"Oh really? So why is it that we have never seen this descendant? You've had multiple chance to bring him into the Otherworld and instead you leave him rotting in the Shinto territory," asked the brown cloaked man.

"I have my reasons," growled the Death Goddess.

A low hollow chuckle was heard from the cloaked figure, "Of that I'm sure. But tell me, how do we know that this descendant even exists?"

Morrigan's eyes narrowed before they rapidly changed colours again and her own voice seemed to briefly become three different ones speaking in unison before merging back together into one. "Are you calling Lugh, and myself a liar?" she asked with a frown and causing her opponent to raise his hands in surrender, revealing them to covered in pale skin unlike his skull head.

"Not at all. I'm just pointing out some facts that simply point in a certain direction. It's up to the others what they make of it," reassured the cloaked figure before turning to the rest of the Celtic Deities watching them in silence. "I'm sure I'm not the only one that has thought this. Why does this descendant not show himself to us? How did he obtained the support of Scathach of all people? And finally, what is he like as a person?"

The man then continued as his raspy voice rose in volume, "We know nothing about him, only that he has rapidly been gaining in power and support, managed to recruit the Godslayer into his faction and that his faction seemed to come out of nowhere under the leadership of the Red Dragon Emperor. Is that not a cause of concern for anyone else?"

"Arawn, if this is another petty display of the rivalry between us…" she warned in a soft voice.

"He has a point, Morrigan," interrupted Dagda.

"Dagda, Cu Chulainn's descendant is no threat to you or the Celtic Pantheon," replied Morrigan as she spun to face him.

"And you don't think your opinion is biased in anyway?" commented Arawn, hints of amusement appearing in his whispery tone.

"SHUT UP ARAWN!" shouted Morrigan, feathers sprouting from her flesh as she rounded back on him.

"Why? Are you afraid I'm right?" countered the Celtic God of the Underworld.

"Enough!" shouted Dagda as he glared down at the two of them. "Morrigan, if we are to form this treaty that Scathach proposed…then the descendant will be at the Samhain Feis, am I clear?"

"Crystal," replied the Death Goddess through gritted teeth.

"Good, I'm sure that everyone is eager to meet him," commented the Celtic God of Life.

"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Morrigan quietly before she left the room and punched the nearest wall she could find. "Fucking politics."

* * *

Lugh just smiled as he sheathed Fragarach and turned to face his two captives, "Well I think that's all the questions we've got time for today. I'll be seeing you both for another session tomorrow."

"Zeus will find out about this," snarled Apollo.

"Will he? As far as he will know, you two independently teamed up to try conduct your own investigation, defying his direct orders, before attacking the Godslayer and nearly killing her charge then disappearing. As far as the rest of the world will be concerned, you two died in combat against her," pointed out the Sun God, getting horrified looks from the two Greeks.

"Best make yourselves comfortable, you're going to be here a while. At least until we've figured out what to do with you," he informed them before heading to the door.

"Anyway, you have someone here who wants to see you, so I'll give you all some alone time," announced Lugh as he pushed the door open.

"What are you talking about?" growled out Artemis.

"You'll see, you can come in now," he called into the hallway beyond the cell.

The two Greeks picked up the sound of light, graceful footsteps echoing down the hall before an all too familiar figure emerged from beyond the doorway. Instantly both Greeks rushed towards her, their faces red with fury as the chains quickly grew taunt and sent them flying back to the cell wall.

"I was informed that thou hast thee desire to speak to myself," said the Fake, even her voice an exact copy of their child.

"YOU FAKER!" snarled Artemis as she continued violently struggling against the chains binding them.

"You have some nerve showing yourself to us here, Fake," spoke Apollo, in contrast to his enraged sister, he was the epitome of a calm fury.

The Fake turned to the Celt and frowned, "Lugh, I request that thou leave the premise, I wish for privacy."

"I'll be in the next room if you need me," he replied with a nod.

As soon as the door was shut Artemis yelled out, practically frothing at the mouth at the sight of her, "How dare you disgrace the memory of our champion like this! How dare you use her weapons like this! They do not belong to you! GIVE THEM BACK!"

"They do belong to me. I am the Chaste Huntress' descendant," argued the green clade cat girl, her voice once again making the two Gods flinch.

"Lies!" spat Apollo, the temperature in the room beginning to slowly rise as flames danced along his hair.

"And how can thou be sure?" shot back the Faker.

"Because we know our daughter! We buried her after Aphrodite betrayed us! She died young…having no children to call her own," snarled Artemis, her chains making a racket as she continued trying to break free.

"And now you come here parading around with her face. Tell me, what vile Necromancy did you use on her corpse? How did you desecrate her grave to obtain her power?" continued Apollo, his face beginning to go red as he rage continued to build.

The Faker's eyes widened slightly as she fingered her stolen bow and frown, "I did no such thing."

"More lies. Tauropolos was buried with Atalanta in her tomb, a location known only to us both. The only way you could have gotten it was if you robbed it," growled out the Greek Sun God.

The Faker was silent as the two groups just stared at each other, neither side wanting to break the stalemate. It was then that Apollo noticed her eyes were not the same heterochromatic colour as before with the chocolate brown seeming to be missing entirely. Finally, the Fake just gave a long drawn out sigh.

"I was asked to give thou a message…" she said, causing Apollo to raise an eyebrow.

"And what is that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The Fake refused to meet their eyes and instead looked down at the ground as she replied, "Herakles sends his regards."

"And now you bring up our dead brother. Do you really have no shame?" growled out the Sun God, only for Artemis' eyes to flicker with uncertainty for the briefest moment before the hate returned in full force.

Once again the staring contest continued and as the two Greeks glared into the chillingly familiar eyes staring back at them, their minds began to wander as unwanted memories began to resurface of the first time they looked into those eyes.

 _Artemis looked down at the child now abandoned in the forest and a low sigh escaped her as she cradled the baby girl, looking at the chubby face that stared back at her with wide eyes and a bright smile. "Hello little one, and what's your name?" she asked in a motherly voice._

 _The baby just gurgled before bursting out into childish laughter as it reached up to the Goddess' long white hair and began to chew and suck on the long white flowing locks cascading around the baby's face. The Moon Goddess quickly pushed the baby away from her with a look of disgust as she saw the clumps of salvia now hanging off her precious hair._

 _Derived of its chew toy the baby quickly burst into tears as it let out a loud wail, causing Artemis to quickly and frantically try to coo the crying child. Unfortunately being the Goddess of Virginity meant she had no experience handling a child before and it showed as Artemis unsuccessfully tried to coo the baby._

" _Sister, what is that racket? I was enjoying our hunting trip until that noise scared away the deer," growled out a male voice from behind her._

 _Artemis spun around as she saw her brother Apollo walking over to her before the Sun God stopped upon looking at the child held cradled in her arms and a smirk appeared on his face. "Is there something you want to tell me dear Sister, who's the lucky guy?" he asked in amusement, clearly enjoying the sight of his sister flustering in her attempts to calm the child._

" _Just shut up and help me!" she snarled, knowing her brother had more experience with this then herself._

 _Apollo just laughed as he took the child from her and softly cooed it into sleep, the forest once again descending into silence as the two Gods stared at the child in their hands. "So what's the story?" he asked in a whisper, nodding to the child before handing her back over to his sister._

 _Artemis took the baby from her brother and frowned, "she was abandoned by her family and left to die. I saw it happen. How could they just leave a child like that?"_

 _As if hearing this the child seemed to squirm in her sleep as the baby maneuvered itself closer to the Goddess' chest, hugging it protectively and bringing a small smile to Artemis' face. "She likes you," said Apollo with a happy smile, watching his sister beginning to dote on the baby._

" _Why don't you just adopt her?" he suggested, seeing how happy his sister seemed at the moment, the Moon Goddess still smiling down at the child with an expression that he hadn't seen in years._

 _Pure and utter bliss…_

 _Upon hearing this Artemis looked down at the child again and sighed, "I don't want to involve this child in the power plays of the Pantheon. Let her live a life free of all that."_

" _Then do it in secret, the others don't need to know that you've taken a shine to a single mortal," shrugged Apollo._

 _Artemis shook her head, "I wouldn't know the first thing about raising a child."_

" _Then I'll help out," replied Apollo, getting a shocked look from his sister. "I think it will be good for you Sister, besides the child is cute. I wouldn't mind looking after her for a bit."_

 _Artemis was silent as she looked down at the baby still cuddled up to her chest and stared at it, watching as it slowly wrapped its tiny hand around her pinkie as it slept. Apollo watched as his sister gave the child a smile and kissed the baby on the forehead, before leaving it in the care of a female bear. A smiling growing on his face as he watched his sister walk off, and turned to see the bear nuzzling the child lovingly._

" _So you made your decision?" he asked as he hurried after her._

" _I have," replied his sister, not turning around._

" _And?" prompted the Sun God._

" _And I think we have a busy few years ahead of us Apollo," she said, in a fond tone._

" _That we do, so what's her name?" he asked, with a curious expression on his face._

" _Atalanta," she announced with a large, bright smile on her face._

" _Atalanta, the champion of the Moon Goddess Artemis and the Sun God Apollo," mused the Sun God with a laugh, only to stop as his sister turned to face him._

" _To others perhaps but not to me. She is not my champion, but my daughter," stated the Moon Goddess, a determined gleam in her eyes as she walked off._

" _Daughter huh?" mused Apollo as he thought back to the childish smiling face of the baby that he had cooed to sleep. "I like the sound of that…"_

There was a deep silence as the two Greeks were snapped from their memories and continued to glare hatefully at the Fake in front of them. "Thou truly cared for her, didn't thee?" asked the Fake in a soft voice.

"Like she was our own child! And now you…you…you desecrate her memory! Is it not enough that you use her gifts from us, but you have to take on her form as well," spat Artemis, before growing still as she continued meeting the Fake's gaze with her own.

"I am so sorry…" apologised the Fake in a soft voice.

"For what? You are impersonating a dead woman. Someone who was close to our hearts and you didn't stop to think how that could have affected us. We raised her since she was young, we watched over her, trained her, WE WATCHED HER DIE! WE WENT TO HER FUNERAL! OUR OWN CHILD'S! WE BURIED HER WITH OUR OWN HANDS!" shouted the Moon Goddess, causing the Fake to flinch visibly and refuse to meet her gaze.

"And then you come along pretending to be something you're not…bringing up emotions and memories that we both had buried deep within for years…you sicken me," continued Artemis, getting a sick twisted glee at the obvious discomfort that the Fake was feeling.

"That was not the inten-" started the Fake before being interrupted by Apollo.

"Get out," he said in a deceptively calm voice.

"But-" began the Fake only to be cut off as the Greek Sun God raised his hand.

"Get. Out. Now. Before I do something that we'll both regret," he demanded, and no one said a word as the silence stretched.

"Very well," replied the Fake, bowing to them as she left the room and leaving the two Greek Gods to once again try and bury the unwanted feelings that the meeting had stirred.

* * *

Issei sighed deeply as he left the cell and headed towards Scathach and the others, his mind going over that last encounter with no small amount of guilt. 'Atalanta are you okay? What they said…' he asked, knowing how devout Atalanta had been in her time.

There was a brief pause before the Chaste Huntress replied, her voice seemingly devoid of any kind of emotion, and making Issei's worry grow.

 _{I shalt be fine Issei. That conversation hast merely reinforced my theory.}_

'Theory? What theory?' he replied, trying to stay focus and not play with his new tail and ears…knowing that Atalanta wouldn't be happy about using her form like that. The Chaste Huntress herself seem distracted though as her voice became distant and almost wistful.

 _{That those two art not thee same Gods I swore an oath to…even if I wish it otherwise.}_

'Atalanta…seriously are you okay? You're not acting like yourself,' question the former human, his enhanced senses picking up the sounds of Artemis' cries of rage even from this far away.

 _{I wast thee champion of Apollo and Artemis, their favoured warrior. But that wast all. In the end, I wast still nothing but a tool for them. A pawn in the games of the Pantheon.}_

'I'm sure it wasn't really like that. I mean, this Apollo and Artemis clearly cared for your counterpart, so why shouldn't yours?' reassured Issei, only to get the distinct impression that the Huntress was shaking her head at him.

 _{Thou does not understand Issei…this world thou lives in. It is much kinder then thee one we art from. Back there thee Gods considered us nothing but toys, no matter how loyal we were to them in the end. Tools to be cast aside when it suited them.}_

'Atalanta, I'm sorry…' he began, only to be interrupted by the melancholic voice of Atalanta echoing across his mind.

 _{They art not my Apollo and Artemis. They art not my Gods. Indeed, I am jealous of my counterpart that existed here. She had a family that loved her growing up, whereas I had no such thing.}_

'Well you might not have had a family growing up, but you sure do have one now, right? We'll take care of you Atalanta, we all care for you, even Tamamo. So, that's something, isn't it?' argued the former human as he prepared to Uninstall the Archer Card.

However, before he could he heard Atalanta speak up again, her voice once again seeming distant and distracted but nowhere near as melancholic as an amused tone entered her voice.

 _{A family huh? I shalt not be part of thou's harem Issei Hyoudou.}_

'Wha-what? What harem? No I don't mean it like that! I'm being-' stuttered Issei, only to hear laughter echo through his mind.

It was beautiful, like a series of wind chimes flowing with a nice breeze, and despite himself Issei found a small smile had crossed his face. Eventually though the laughter died down and Issei heard his companion once again continue.

 _{But I appreciate thee gesture all thee same. I am aware that I am not thee easiest person to be around, but I can honestly say that thee time I hast spent here hast been some of thee best memories I hast had in a long time…even if that damned Fox seems to test me each day.}_

'I'm glad to hear it, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same about you Atalanta. Even if they won't tell you so directly,' replied Issei.

 _{This dysfunctional family you've created Issei…}_

'What about it?' prompted the former human as he heard her trail off.

There was silence before he heard the soft female voice reply in a slightly embarrassed tone.

 _{…it's nice.}_

[Wow Partner, you've breached the Iron Wall! Do you secretly have EX Charisma or something?]

 _{Thou art dead Dragon!}_

And just like that the mood was ruined as Issei Uninstalled the Archer Card and headed off to find Scathach, he needed a transport back to his home after all.

* * *

Issei was in high spirits as he prepared for his new day at school, things had finally been quieting down now after the Excalibur fiasco, not including the imprisoned Greeks that they still had to worry about. Apparently, Mordred and Arthur Pendragon were now public enemy number one in the Devil's and Church's eyes, ironically bringing the two organisations much closer together in their hunt for them. Rias had kept her word though and so no one had known about Le Fay's existence for the entire investigation, and now the investigators had finally finished examining the area.

And so Issei could finally relax and just worry about being a normal high schooler, he was even looking forward to a test, a test! In short, the human was ready to relax and just enjoy a normal life for the next couple of days, especially since it was almost time for Halloween. Maybe even visit Charles and see how he was adjusting to everyone. At least that had been his plan until Scathach had burst into his room.

"Come with me," she ordered, before forcibly dragging him out of the room and into the backyard.

"It's been a week Scathach but it's good to see you too," he mumbled, getting a glared from the Godslayer. "So why exactly are we here?"

Scathach just began activating numerous ruins along the back wall as she replied, "Morrigan sent me a message. Apparently, she needed to speak with us urgently."

A frown crossed Issei's face at this, "Is it about Apollo and Artemis?"

After all, last thing they needed was for those two to escape prison, still at least Morrigan and Lugh should be able to deal with them. However, this line of thought was destroyed as the Immortal Witch shook her head and frowned.

"No, she said it had something to do with the Celtic Pantheon, I have my suspicions on what exactly is the problem…and I rather hope I'm wrong," she replied as a portal opened and Morrigan strode out.

Morrigan smiled upon seeing the two before her expression turned soured, "We need to talk…the Celts want to meet Issei…"

" _Samhain feis_ ," asked Scathach getting a sigh and a nod from the Death Goddess.

"That's right we need to leave now-" the Death Goddess paused as she noted their new surroundings.

"What is going on?" questioned Morrigan as she stared at the Halloween decorations hanging from the homes and trees.

"Yes Issei, I was meaning to ask that myself. Some of these decorations look eerily similar to some found in Celtic festivals," pointed out the Immortal Witch as she eyed a Jack-O-Lantern with interest.

"It's Halloween, a time of the year when everyone around the world dresses up in costumes and gives each other sweets," explained Issei, causing both Morrigan and Scathach to watch with wide eyes as small children dressed as Oni came rushing past the house with sacks full of sugary goodness.

"You mean this is what _Samhain feis_ has been turned into?" muttered the Death Goddess in a quiet voice.

Issei just frowned in confusion, "Samham fis? What's that?"

" _Samhain feis_ ," corrected Scathach as she glanced over to the still shocked Goddess with a concerned look. "It was a festival of the dead, also known as All Hallows Eve. The time when the barrier between the mortal world and Otherworld weakened, a day where people would worship the Death Goddess Morrigan…and the day she would be at the peak of her power."

"This was once my day…" muttered Morrigan, still watching the happy celebrations going on around her. "A day where I would let the dead return to the world of the living. A day where I would let loved ones see each other once more. A somber, yet hopeful time for my followers, and now…"

Issei swallowed fearfully as he heard the Death Goddess trail off, after all if this was once _her_ day, then to see it distorted into something like this…well he wouldn't be happy to say the least. "Morrigan, I'm sorr-" began Issei, only to be interrupted as a soft happy smile spread across Morrigan's face.

"It's incredible," she whispered in a grateful tone as tears welled up in her eyes.

Both Issei and Scathach turned to look at the Death Goddess in shock, seeing this Morrigan just ignored the two of them as she walked over to watch the laughing children. "Never before have I seen such cheer and joy on the Day of the Dead. It was always a somber event but now…I guess some good things did come from the Christians stealing our festival," muttered Morrigan, wiping the tears of joy from her eyes.

"The school was performing a play as a celebration of the event, I'm sure the Devil's wouldn't stop you from participating in it," smirked Scathach, knowing the headaches this would cause the Devils and Dagda.

Judging from the smile that spread across her face, Morrigan realised this as well, "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, come let us go back to school."

"Hold on, didn't you say the Celts were waiting for us?! Do you really want to antagonize them? Same with the Devils. They'll need to come up with a cover story for your sudden return to school," pointed out Issei, trying to stop this before it got out of hand.

The two Celts then turned to him with identical smiles on their faces and for a brief moment Issei could almost believe they actually _were_ the sisters they'd pretended to be when he first met them. "Issei, today is Morrigan's day, the Day of the Dead, everyone knows…you don't cross Morrigan on _her_ day. Especially Dagda," replied Scathach, before walking over and dragging Issei with the two of them as they walked towards the school.

Inside the clubroom Rias immediately had a shudder run down her spine…

The trio then headed towards the school, with Morrigan and Scathach stopping to admire the numerous Halloween decorations and costumes hanging from walls and roofs. The two Celts sharing an amused knowing smirk as they examined the Jack-o-lanterns before they turned back to examine the costumes with a smile.

The two Celts then nodded to each other and Issei's eyes widened as he saw Morrigan and Scathach drop their student disguises and revealed their black and purple leather armour. Issei's eyes bulged as he saw this before he rushed over to them.

"What are you doing?! Change back quickly before someone sees you!" he hissed out quickly, getting a grin from the two of them.

"What do you mean Issei? These are our costumes, I'm going to be the Immortal Witch and _Morigana_ is going to be the Celtic Goddess Morrigan. After all, that's what our 'parents' named us after," replied Scathach.

The teen was going to argue further before he saw the almost childish smiles on the Celt's faces as they continued examining the different surroundings, even going so far as to actually 'borrow' some candy from the trick or treaters. 'I suppose I can just let this slide for now…although I doubt that I'll tell them just how revealing their skin tight armour is. Let them enjoy this night without worrying about the looks from the others,' he decided, shrugging before shaking his head.

The trio continued down the streets, the two Celts taking everything in with wide eyes as Morrigan almost seemed to glide from one location to the other, eagerly questioning Issei on the purpose of everything she saw. This process continued on until they were stopped by a curious teen whom quickly brought out his phone at the 'realistic and skintight costumes' the two females were wearing.

"So, who are you supposed to be?" he asked, his phone flashing in light as he snapped pictures of the two.

The Phantom Queen's chest puffed out in pride as she walked over to the mortal with eager eyes, "Behold mortal, here on the Day of the Dead, The Death Goddess Morrigan appears before you."

The teen just frowned in confusion, "Really? You don't seem to give off the right feel for that…besides you should have gone as her from Dragon Age she was hot!"

Instantly a frown appeared on the Celt's face and everyone felt the winds go silent as a soft chill ran up their spines. "But I am Morrigan you fool! Who is this imposter from the Age of Dragons!?" she demanded beginning to storm towards the human.

"Right…I have a picture here if you want to see it…" stuttered the fearful human as Issei rushed after the Celt and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"We're leaving right now, come on Morrigan!" he said, trying to drag the unmoving Goddess away from her new victim.

"Issei wait…I must find this imposter and kill her!" snarled the Death Goddess and throwing him back before turning back to the helpless human in front of her.

"Morrigan if you stop struggling I'll buy you and Scathach some Pizza okay!" shouted Issei, desperation beginning to seep into his tone as he noticed an abnormally large number of Ravens seeming to appear all around them, silently staring down at them.

For a moment, there was silence before Morrigan turned away from her victim and the Ravens seemed to disappear, "Your terms are accepted Issei."

"I regret ever introducing you two to that food…" muttered Issei as he watched Morrigan cheerfully walk down the streets of Kuoh.

"Come the school awaits…" cheered the Phantom Queen, leaving her two companions to stare at the departing Goddess with a frown.

"Hey Scathach…does Morrigan seem off to you today…" he asked, pondering on the Goddess' unusual and unpredictable mood swings.

As he turned to the Godslayer he noticed her hands had been resting on one of her spears for what had likely been the entire encounter and his frown deepened as the Godslayer appeared to relax. "Issei do you ever wonder why she is called The Morrigan and not just simply Morrigan? The name Trinity Goddess isn't just for show after all. Some days she isn't as…stable as usual…this is one of those times," she explained, beginning to walk after the Death Goddess.

"What do you mean?" replied Issei, his brows furrowing in confusion as he fell into step beside her.

"It's not my place to say but…do you remember back to Asia's reincarnation?" answered Scathach in an eerily quiet tone.

Issei instantly had a massive headache spike through his head and grunted slightly in pain as a series of images quickly flashed through his mind, before the silvery doorway burned itself back into his mind. "Not really…I remember the doorway of silver twigs…and vaguely seeing something beyond it…but not much else," he admitted, getting a shocked look from the Godslayer.

"You saw the doorway? You never mentioned that," she pointed out, her frown deepening as she turned to glance at Issei.

"Is it that odd?" questioned the human in confusion.

"Not odd…just very rare for someone not related to an Aspect of Death to see, let alone a human. Most, like myself, only see light and darkness, not the doorway itself and those who do…" the Immortal Witch trailed off as a thoughtful expression crossed her face.

"Those who do?" prompted Issei, feeling slightly uncomfortable about this new information.

"Have a unique connection to death," finished Scathach before the duo fell slightly as the trailed after Morrigan.

If Morrigan noticed the change in atmosphere between the two she didn't comment on it and instead spent the rest of the trip to school examining the decorations with child-like wonder. Issei and Scathach continued watching her in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts, before the trio arrived at Kuoh Academy and were greeted to the sight of Sona and Rias standing out front as if waiting for them.

"Issei Hyoudou, late once again I see," growled out the Student Council President.

"Through no fault of my own this time Kaichou," replied the human, his eyes quickly darting to the still oddly acting Morrigan before returning to the Devil.

The two heiress' eyes followed his own and their faces paled upon seeing Morrigan appearing from behind the human. "Issei, can I ask why you brought the Death Goddess here on today of all days?" questioned Rias, a slight bit of panic entering her voice.

"Well after I found out about these celebrations on _my day_ I just had to be a part of them," informed the Goddess.

"For what it's worth I tried to convince her otherwise," sighed Issei as the two heiress' shot him horrified looks.

"Let me get this straight you want us to let THE GODDESS OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION ITSELF participate in the Halloween festivals…are you insane?" exclaimed Rias, before rubbing her temples.

"Actually, I think it's a good idea," smirked the Sitri heiress, ignoring the shocked look from Rias.

"Besides I can't think of a better person to play the part of the narrator then the Goddess of Death herself," replied Sona, pressing the glasses up to her face.

"And what would be the name of the play?" asked Morrigan, curiosity evident in her voice.

A smile grew on Sona's face, "it's called The Tale Of The Three Brothers."

* * *

The crowd was silent as the watched the shadows play along the white canvas screen, forming different structures and environments until the shadowy shape of three men appeared on the canvas, surrounded by dark trees. An unsettling atmosphere descended on the audience as the lights in the room seemed to dim and they heard a soft, haunting voice begin its tale.

"There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at Twilight," whispered the female voice, sending shivers down the spines of her captive audience.

"Wow, Morrigan's really getting into this," muttered Issei quietly to Scathach, getting a nod from the Godslayer.

"Like I said…this is her day Issei, you can't blame her for wanting to enjoy it," replied the witch.

"Indeed, I must say that it is very _human_ of her to act like this," replied Rias as the Devils took the seats around them, much to the Celt's chagrin.

Their conversation died down as the shadow puppetry on the canvas changed to reveal the three figures standing in front of a chasm and once again the audience heard the soft whispers from the yet unseen Morrigan. The listeners could not help but loses themselves in her haunting voice as the winds outside grew still and silent.

"In time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass, but being learned in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge," she continued, a low sound seeming to fill the auditorium.

Smoke seemed to rise up from the floor and cover up the canvas, and it seemed that Morrigan's voice held a sliver of anger as she continued reading.

"Before they could cross however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure, it was Death. And he felt cheated…Cheated because travelers would normally drown in the river. But Death was cunning…" trailed off the Death Goddess, an almost smug smile seeming to emanate from her voice.

The crowd watched as the smoky shadows coalesced into the shape of a giant hooded figure towering over the trio before giving them a mocking bow. "He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him," read Morrigan in a cold tone of amusement, bringing shudders to everyone as they heard it.

After all, all living things feared death and whether they knew it or not, here was an aspect of Death that was rapidly getting more and more angered. Deep within their instincts were beginning to realise an oncoming danger and the audience struggled to keep their hearts from bursting out of their chests as they continued watching the performance.

"Scathach…" whispered Issei in concern.

"Don't worry, she won't do anything…I think," replied the Celt, getting a shocked and fearful look from the human and Devils.

"You think," hissed out Sona, only to shut up as the witch sent her a glare.

The argument halted however as Morrigan's angered voice continued, "The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence and so Death fashioned him one from an Elder tree that stood nearby."

The canvas then changed to show a massive tree before the hooded figure reached out and handed one of the three figures something. The hooded figure then turned to the second person and it seemed that the angered tone in Morrigan's voice grew exponentially as she continued.

"The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So Death plucked a stone from the river…and offered it to him," she growled out, the audience hanging on her every word.

Everyone watched with baited breath as the shadowy hooded figure then looked at the last of the three brothers and this time there was a slight hesitation from Morrigan as the Death Goddess continued in a confused tone, "Finally, Death turned to the third brother, a humble man he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own cloak of invisibility."

However, this confusion passed quickly as her voice grew cold and angered again, and the image changed to reveal the first of the brothers drinking in what appeared to be a pub. This image quickly changed to the brother pointing his new wand at someone and killing them, everyone felt the temperature in the room become icy cold as ravens seemed to be heard calling outside.

"The first brother travelled to a distant village where, with the wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarreled. Drunk with the power that his prize had given him, he bragged about his invincibility…" explain the Phantom Queen of the Celts, a sinister satisfaction entering her voice as she continued.

"But that night another wizard stole the wand and slit the brother's throat for good measure…and so Death took the first brother for his own," laughed the Goddess, her haunting laughter echoing across the room as the body of the first brother was claimed by the hooded figure whom then vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Morrigan's voice seemed to gain even more sadistic glee as she continued and images of the second brother appeared beside a female figure. "The second brother journeyed to his home, where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death, appeared before him…" she said and another cold feeling washed over everyone present.

They watched as the women's figure began weeping softly to herself before fading away into black, shortly after this the second brother's form also began weeping uncontrollably. "Yet soon she turned sad, and cold, for she did not belong in the mortal world," concluded Morrigan, a hint of pity for the unfortunate soul entering her voice.

"Driven mad with hopeless longing the second brother killed himself so as to join her…and so Death took the second brother," she finished grimly, watching the image of the brother hang himself from the rafters.

The cold voice of Morrigan vanished as instead it was once again replaced by a confused tone as the canvas changed to show the third brother hiding from the hooded figure under a cloak. "As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him…" she continued, both intrigued and confused as the game of cat and mouse continued to play out on the canvas.

Suddenly it seemed that the hostile atmosphere that had descended on the audience was replaced by a light hearted one instead as the Goddess of Death continued. "Only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the cloak of invisibility and give it to his son," she replied, an almost proud tone entering her voice.

"He…" paused the Goddess as the ravens outside flew away and a shocked, yet happy Morrigan emerged from behind the canvas and smiled at the crowd. "He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life…as equals…"

The crowd roared as they gave the Goddess a standing ovation for putting on such a convincing performance, while those in the know breathed sighs of relief that the danger had passed. For her part Morrigan looked slightly shocked at the response from the crowd before her smiled widened and she bowed deeply.

"Thank you, I must say never has _my day_ ever been this joyous. And I thank you for the bottom of my heart for making it so," announced the Goddess, getting low whispers from the crowd.

Of course being normal human's there was only one way they could interpret this speech and as once the crowd got together and sung a hilariously out of tune rendition of…'happy birthday.'

"Well this was unexpected…" muttered Sona, getting nods from her companions.

"Just go with it, if this is the excuse they want to give for that speech then I see no reason to question it," sighed the exasperated Issei, collapsing into his seat.

The group silently agreed with the human's logic as they watched Morrigan slowly approach them and Issei smiled up at her, "you did a good job Morrigan. You really got into it."

Morrigan nodded and turned to give Issei a thoughtful look, "at first I thought it would be another insulting and degrading look at Death. But in the end it was a good message to teach others."

"I suppose the message that you can't cheat Death would appeal to you," mentioned Rias, nodding her head.

The red head then shrank back as Morrigan glared at her, "foolish Devil. Although given what your kind does I can see how you would come to that conclusion. No, that is not the message of this story."

"Then what is?" challenged Sona, trying to hold her ground against the Death Goddess.

"It's that you shouldn't fear Death," replied Issei, causing everyone to turn to face him in surprise and Morrigan gave him a happy smile.

The Death Goddess walked over to Issei and stood beside him as she rested a hand on his shoulder and turned to face the rest of them with another satisfied smirk as a figure walked into the auditorium.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to realise I was back here…Amaterasu," replied the Death Goddess.

Everyone froze as they saw the Kimono wearing male storm over to them, making both Rias and Sona briefly wonder what had happened to the peaceful territory they used to own.

"Morrigan…my name is Tsukuyomi, under order of my sister Amaterasu I have been tasked with removing you from our territory, by force if necessary," sighed the white haired man, seemingly exasperated as he just shook his head.

"The Sun Goddess couldn't come down here and do it herself?" scoffed the Death Goddess.

Tsukuyomi just growled before his eyes narrowed and his hand ever so slowly began drifting towards the handle of the ornate katana held clutched in his other hand. "You know why my sister doesn't visit the human world anymore, _Celt_! Do not insult her," hissed out the Moon God as the surrounding Devils began backing away from the two Gods.

"Your sister tried to assassinate Issei, we will say whatever we wish about her!" snarled Scathach, causing the Devil's eyes to widen to astronomical proportions.

For the first time in the conversation Tsukuyomi reeled back in surprise before frowning, "my sister is many things but she is not a murder!"

The Moon God then drew his sword, revealing the pure white sword blade that began glowing in the pale moon light, only for the Shinto deity to frown as a rune engraved crystal was dropped at his feet by Morrigan. "What is this?" he growled out, wary of the crystal.

The Death Goddess gained a dark smirk on her face as she replied, "that is a recording of the confessions obtained during our interrogation. It clearly shows your sister scheming with Artemis and Apollo to kill Issei, I haven't shown it to Dagda yet…but tell me how do you think he will respond to this act of aggression? Or better yet Zeus's reaction to his children being manipulated?"

The colour draining from Tsukuyomi's face was all the indication that Morrigan needed to see as her smile grew wider, "why don't you go and give that recording a watch, I'm sure you have some things to talk to your sister about."

The Moon God kept a careful eye on the Celtic Deity as he sheathed his blade and slowly picked up the rune crystal, the artifact then glowed softly and suddenly Tsukuyomi's eyes widened as if seeing something they could not. Eventually the crystal's glow died down and they heard a soft sigh escape the saddened God, "sister what have you done?"

The dangerous air surrounding Tsukuyomi seemed to fade and was instead replaced with a depressed atmosphere as he looked towards the full moon before everyone felt small droplets of rain begin pouring down from above. The Moon God then turned back to face the smirking face of Morrigan and knew immediately this wasn't going to just blow itself over.

"Morrigan, Scathach…Issei, let me be the first to apologise for my sister's actions…but please don't go to Dagda and Zeus with this information…I beg you. Let me talk to her, please there is no need for more bloodshed," begged the Moon God as he bowed before them, his voice wavering slightly.

As Issei stared at the bowing God he felt the Caster Card give off a warm glow from within its holder, the human went to place a hand on Tsukuyomi's shoulder, only to have Scathach yank him away before standing protectively between them. At this point Rias and the others decided to start making themselves scarce, the two heiresses rushing to send warnings to their siblings about a possible conflict arising between the Shinto, Celtic and Greek Pantheons.

"And why should we just give you a free pass?" growled out Morrigan.

"I'm not asking for that…I'm just asking that we settle it privately, without using official channels. Morrigan, you are one of the official diplomats for the Celts…you have the authority to make arrangements without Dagda knowing. I know I can convince my sister to come to the negotiating table, I just need more time. Please I can promise you all reparations if you don't get the Greeks involved," informed the Moon God, not rising from his bow.

All the Celts were silent and Issei was about to break the silence as he shot the Death Goddess a pleading look, feeling Tamamo's influence beginning to press in on his mind as the Class Card began glowing brighter. Upon seeing his look the Death Goddess sighed before giving him a nod as she turned back to Tsukuyomi.

"You have until the end of the _Samhain Feis_ after that if reparations have not been made…" the Death Goddess trailed off as Scathach summoned Gae Bolg.

"I understand, I'll have it done. Can we iron out the details at Kyoto after the _Samhain Fei_ celebrations?" asked Tsukuyomi, rising from his bow.

"That is fine, but until then Artemis and Apollo will be held captive as insurance," informed Morrigan, causing a frown to grow across the Moon God's face.

"But what if Zeus comes looking for them?" he replied, getting manipulative smirks from the two Celts.

"Well you best hurry up and get your sister to agree, mustn't you?" replied the Godslayer.

Tsukuyomi just nodded in defeat before he turned to face Issei, whom had been silent the entire exchange before walking up and holding hand out to the human. "For what's worth, I truly am sorry about my sister…she has just…not been herself lately," he apologised, a sad smile still etched on his face.

Issei was silent as he looked at the outstretched hand before pushing past Scathach, whom tried to stop him, and grasping the Moon Gods' hand. Tsukuyomi blinked as he grasped the teens hand, feeling a _very familiar_ power emanating off him, and for the briefest second he could have sworn he saw a girl clad in a purple kimono smiling at him. Her fox ears and tail happily waving in the wind as she gave a nod to the Moon God before fading away, like smoke blown by the wind. Shaking his head Tsukuyomi found himself once again staring at a very confused looking Issei whom looked down at his hand and gave a sheepish smile.

"You know you can let go of my hand now, right?" pointed out the human, causing the Moon God to blink before he came back to the present and let go of the teen's hand.

"Is there a problem Tsukuyomi?" asked Morrigan, watching as Scathach began readying her spear from behind the Moon God's back.

Thankfully he just shook his head, "no I'm fine. Issei was it? You should come to Kyoto when you have the chance, I can promise you that we're not all like my sister…I'm sure you will find our followers most hospitable. Consider it an olive branch and a personal apology for Amaterasu's behaviour.

The teen grinned, "sure I'll come visit with Morrigan when you guys begin negotiations."

"Issei," hissed out Scathach, once again angry at this apparent disregard for his own personal safety, after all these people just tried to assassinate him!

"Wonderful, I'll inform our followers. I'm sure Yasaka would be eager to meet the one who is the reason her Lady is not wanted for murder by two factions," smiled Tsukuyomi, before the Moon God began walking off into the distance and vanishing into the streets.

"He seems nice," commented Issei as he turned to face the angry expressions on the Celts.

"YOU IDIOT WHY WOULD YOU AGREE TO GO TO KYOTO?! IT'S YOU AMATERASU IS AFTER AND YOU JUST AGREED TO WALK INTO HER DEN!" screamed out Scathach getting a flinch from Issei.

"Come on Morrigan will be there. Besides no matter how much Amaterasu may want to question me, not even she would want to risk a war for it…surely?" argued Issei, getting a nod of agreement from Morrigan.

"He's right Scathach, the Shinto Pantheon wants to avoid war just as much as we do, no one in their right mind would interfere with these negotiations, agreed the Death Goddess, getting a low sigh from the Godslayer.

* * *

Cao Cao smiled as he read the newest report coming from the, once peaceful, Shinto territory of Japan, his smile widening to Cheshire proportions the more he read.

 _Unofficial meeting between the Celt and Shinto Pantheon, spies from within the Devils and Kyoto faction can confirm that there was a recent confrontation between the two factions in the territory claimed by Gremory. While the cause and result of the fight is unknown, both factions are taking great lengths to avoid using official channels, wanting to keep it a secret. What little information that we do know is that it has something to do with the mysterious descendant of Cu Chulainn and the Shinto Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Recent report of our agent in the Greeks indicates that the Greeks are also beginning to place a large amount of pressure on Kyoto. The timing of this is not coincidental, as two Greek Gods that have recently gone missing, Apollo and Artemis, were last seen talking to Amaterasu before they disappeared._

 _After the Samhain Feis, the Celtic diplomat team will meet with the Shinto in Kyoto to secretly iron out details of reparations. Among them will be the descendant of Cu Chulainn, if he were to go missing in Kyoto, Amaterasu will take the blame and conflict will be reignited. The result likely ending in war. This presents an opportunity for us…_

"Well looks like the Hero Faction will be going to Kyoto far earlier than planned, I can't wait to meet you, descendant of Cu Chulainn," smirked the leader of the hero Faction.

* * *

Omake: The War To End All Wars

Issei groaned as he got up from the ground, his eyes snapping open as he noticed that he was no longer in his room but instead in some abandoned street. 'What the hell?' he thought before seeing the smiling face of a familiar old man watching him before disappearing into a portal.

Realising the cause of his new surroundings Issei yelled into the night, "ZELRETCH!"

Suddenly Issei heard a male voice cry out in pain followed by the sound of glass shattering from one of the nearby houses, an old styled Japanese Mansion. Rushing over to the sound Issei was momentarily shocked to see none other than Cu Chulainn himself standing over the bleeding body of a red-haired boy whom fled into the nearby shed.

Realising he didn't have time to waste he quickly grabbed a Class Card from his holder and quickly Installed it, causing the Servant of Lance to freeze slightly as he felt the magical energy and spin to face Issei's new form.

As the light died down Issei saw Clarent held tight in his hand and turned to face Lancer whom had an intrigued expression on his face. "What are you? You feel like a Servant but it's not entirely the same," mused the Servant of the Lance.

 _{Oi Issei, some warning next time okay? I was enjoying a good spar with the dog when you pulled me here…why is Lancer here?}_

'Zelretch,' said Issei in explanation, getting a grunt of acknowledgement from the Knight of Treachery.

"I have no reason to tell you Sétanta," replied Issei, readying Clarent.

Instantly the grin on Cu Chulainn's face disappeared and a slightly angered look appeared on his face, "not many know that name…and even fewer have the right to call me by it."

"Sorry Lancer but I don't have time to play around," apologised Issei as he immediately used _Prana Burst_ to close the distance before activating Clarent Bloody Arthur.

The Servant of the Lance's eyes widened as he was caught completely off guard by the sudden and powerful opening move, after all it was completely the opposite to how most fighters in the Holy Grail Wars fought. Keeping their Noble Phantasm's secret until they have to use them. The Servant of the Lance could only watch with wide eyes as a wave of Crimson lightning slammed into his body at point blank range, the Shield of Ulster's magical core destroyed as he was sent flying.

"Oh my God…I killed Lancer!" shouted Issei with a horrified expression on his now female face as he stared at the dissolving form of Cu Chulainn.

[Good job Partner!}

 _{You're one of us now!}_

Ignoring the cheers coming from Mordred and Ddraig, Issei only frowned as he gave a silent farewell to the blue Servant of the Lance. "I suppose it's better than the alternative of serving that bastard of a master," he muttered, getting agreements from his companions.

"Well at least I saved that kid. Better go check on him," he muttered, trying to put the thought of killing Lancer out of his mind.

Issei then walked over to the Japanese styled mansion that the red-haired boy from earlier had fled into and sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, trying to think up an explanation for what just happened. And if he was lucky maybe convince the boy to let him stay here until the he could get back home.

[Use sex appeal, Partner. He's a young teenage boy, I doubt he could say no to your current form.]

 _{Issei, if you do that I will gut you!}_

Ignoring the two arguing in his head, Issei headed towards the shed before his Instinct skill starting screaming at him to run, causing the human to stumble to a stop as he realised something.

[Is something wrong Partner?]

"It was too easy…it worked too well," he muttered, realising that there was no way he could have been that lucky with his surprise attack on Lancer.

 _{Lancer's abysmal Luck stat was probably responsible for that. Honestly, Issei just relax, we saved the kid, everything worked out. All we have to do is check on him and then leave, how hard can that be?}_

"Haha yeah even my luck can't be that bad," laughed Issei, putting his Instinct skill to the side as simple paranoia as he entered the shed, only to see the familiar magical circle glowing beneath the red-haired boy.

"No way…" he stated in disbelief before being thrown backwards and out of the shed by the pulse of power that burst from the magical circle.

[…I am impressed. Your luck never ceases to amaze me.]

Issei just growled at the dragon before getting to his feet as he prepared to make a bolt for the nearest entrance, after all there was no way he was going to fight another Servant after being drained by his surprise attack on Lancer. Suddenly Issei felt Clarent begin to vibrate in his hand and heard Mordred's voice echo across his mind.

 _{This power…}_

Instantly Issei brought Clarent up to block an incoming blade as a blue blur rushed towards him and was sent flying into the concrete by the force of the blow. "Mordred, so it was you who attacked my Master. I shouldn't be surprised by you lack of honour," growled out the blonde swordswoman.

 _{FATHER!}_

'Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me…' sighed Issei, using _Prana Burst_ to try and escape, only to find Arturia doing the same to block off his exit.

 _{LET ME FIGHT ISSEI! I'LL KILL HIM!}_

'No! If you two fight, then you'll destroy the entire god damn city!' he replied in a firm tone as he dodged another swing from his opponent and retaliated by punching his opponent in her face. The human then back up as he heard the sound of someone rushing over to them and saw the red-haired boy from earlier now watching them with wide eyes.

"Answer me Mordred! Or are you incapable of such? I shouldn't be surprised you were summoned as the Berserker Class," shouted Arturia, raising her blade back into a ready position.

[So Partner, any ideas.]

'I'm working on it!' growled out Issei as he tried to think of a way to escape. 'Maybe take the Master as hostage…no that will never work, she'd hunt me down long after I let him go.'

 _{LET ME FIGHT!}_

Upon getting no response the angered expression on Arturia's face grew and her sword was instantly bathed in a bright warm light that reached up to the heavens. Issei felt the blood drain from his face as he recognized what was about to happen.

 **EX-**

"Shit! Now, now, Arturia…let's just talk about this!" he begged, raising Clarent to counteract the attack.

"We have nothing to talk about Oathbreaker," she snarled, causing Issei to sigh as Clarent started glowing with red lightning.

 **Rebellion-**

Upon seeing this Arturia braced herself for the clashing of the two Noble Phantasms, only for her jaw to drop in shock as she watched Issei abandon his attack, activate _Prana Burst_ and dash towards the street. The King of Knight was so shocked by this uncharacteristic fleeing from battle that she reacted too slow to stop Issei and growled out in anger as she chased after him.

"Why are you running coward!" she screamed, trying to close the distance.

Issei briefly glanced behind him, only to crash into a tanned man wearing a red cloak and an attractive teenage girl. Issei instantly leapt backwards as the man gave off the feeling of a Servant and causing the tanned man's eyes to widen in confusion.

"You're not Saber…" he muttered in a confused voice, as the sound of Arturia's yells and howls got closer.

"How astute of you," commented Issei before rushing up to the man and grabbing a fistful of his clothes just as Arturia burst through the last wall and into the narrow street.

Issei smirked as he picked up the tanned man and hurled him at Arturia causing them to collide with each other in a tangle of limbs. Seeing his opportunity Issei gave the female master a nod before turning to run.

"GET BACK HERE MORDRED!" howled Arturia, struggling to untangle herself from her compromising position.

"Should you really be following me when there is another Servant here and willing to kill you Master?" chastised Issei before giving Arturia an amused smirk.

"Bye Father," he said with a wave of his hand.

 _{NO GO BACK. WE CAN TAKE HIM!}_

'Like hell we can!' replied Issei as he left the growling Arturia far behind and towards the outskirts of the city.

* * *

Illyasviel Von Einzbern frowned as she felt something interacting with the Grail. As a Lesser Grail herself, she had a unique connection to the wish granting device and so she could feel it. It almost felt like there was an extra Servant in this war, but it had no Class, in fact it didn't even feel connected to the Greater Grail at all…but that wasn't possible…the only way that could work would be if…

Heaven's Feel…

Suddenly the Master of Berserker's eyes widened to astronomic proportions as she realised what this meant…there was a Sorcerer in Fuyuki…one that wielded the Third True Magic…

If she managed to capture them and bring them back to the family…

Her red eyes hardened as a smirk appeared on her face, "Berserker, forget Onii-chan, we have a new target."

* * *

 **IT'S GODDAMN DONE! YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I HATED THIS FUCKING CHAPTER. I REWROTE IT SO MANY FUCKING TIMES! To give you guys an idea of how hard this was to write, the amount of words that went into this chapter, including all the rewrites, is 10K larger than the total words of this fic. Anyway, if you guys were wondering here are the links to what Lugh and Arawn look like, just remove the spaces and add the start h_ps: / /**

 **Lugh: :** **el-grimlock . deviant art art /LUGH-2-167304192**

 **Arawn:** **i79 . servimg u / f79 / 11 / 27 / 80 / 45 / arawn10 . jpg**


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